


Releasing the Demons

by J-leeDixon (J_leeDixon)



Category: The Walking Dead (TV), daryl dixon - Fandom
Genre: Baby, Cunnilingus, F/M, Falling In Love, Fellatio, Giving Birth, Pregnancy, Rough Sex, Sex, Smut, pussy eating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-25 13:19:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 163,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3812014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_leeDixon/pseuds/J-leeDixon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl bumps into Jarah on his first day on the new job. She is pregnant, which would make her off limits to other men, but to Daryl, she is the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes on. Something about her draws him in. Join them on their journey to become a couple and, ultimately, a family.</p><p>The story is already completed. I'll be posting a couple of chapters every day until all of it is up.</p><p>Daryl/OC<br/>Explicit for smutty goodness<br/>AU- Based on my story "People Always Meet Twice in Life" - What if Daryl and Jarah had started dating pre-ZA?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [People Always Meet Twice](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1109903) by [J_leeDixon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_leeDixon/pseuds/J_leeDixon). 



Chapter 1  
  
Jarah Mason felt dead on her feet. She probably could have fallen asleep standing up right on those stairs, but that was not an option right now, she had to get herself and her groceries upstairs.  
  
“Come on, only 10 or 15 more steps and then just down the hall to your apartment. You can do it!” she tried to motivate herself. The problem was, that she was just lacking the physical strength right now. She was 24 weeks pregnant and she was just exhausted and still a little weak. Morning sickness had been more like 24/7 sickness up until pretty much a week ago. She was still working on getting her strength back, but she wasn't able to rest all day long, she had appointments, she needed to get the nursery ready and she needed groceries and since there was no one around to help her she had to do it herself.  
  
She took another deep breath and grabbed the handle of her shopping trolly cart with both hands and pulled. Step by step she slowly tried to work her way from the second, up to the third floor.  
  
She had only managed to climb two steps, when she heard somebody else coming up the stairs. A moment later she saw that it was the hot guy from the construction crew. The one with those amazing blue eyes and even more amazing arms.  
  
The landlord had hired a company to remodel some of the empty apartments in the building to make them more look better in hopes to being able to rent them out faster. They were tiny and not very appealing. For Jarah it had been an emergency measure after leaving her husband practically overnight. As soon as her son would be born, she would move into another, bigger, apartment. Right now she just couldn't handle a move. She couldn't risk carrying any more heavy boxes. The groceries were enough.  
  
The guy looked up at her and she started to panic internally. She was blocking the way and he was busy and had work to do and didn't have time to wait another 5 minutes for her to climb the fucking stairs. He had to hate her by now, this was the second time she would be part of an unpleasant encounter with him. Well unpleasant for him, she happily took in the couple of seconds during which she had a nice view of his eyes and ruggedly handsome face, before guilt swept through her. She hated being a nuisance and she was about to start apologizing profusely, but before she could even open her mouth, he had grabbed the handle out of her hand and was carrying her cart up the stairs.  
  
“Why don't you order that shit online or something?”  
  
Uh-oh, he wasn't happy and understandably so. Damn, she always fucked everything up for everybody, but man look at those bunching muscles! Then she mentally slapped herself upside the head. Order that shit online... why hadn't she thought of that before? That pregnancy brain had to be a real thing.  
  
“Thank you!”, she sighed in relief and slowly started to climb the stairs again. “Hey wait,... I am really grateful for your help. Can I offer you a drink maybe?”  
  
“Gotta work!” was his gruff response.  
  
“After work? I am in apartment 3B,...”  
  
He stopped for a moment and looked back at her, before he kept walking.  
  
'Was that a nod? That was a nod, right? RIGHT?' she just wasn't sure if he really had nodded or if she had imagined it. The movement had been barely detectable, therefore it was entirely possible, that it had been a figment of her imagination.  
  
She started dragging the cart down the hall to her apartment, greeting one of the neighbors that passed her on her way there. She didn't know his name, the people in this building kept to themselves, except for an elderly lady called Mrs. Wilhelmina Larson.  
  
Jarah knew her from work. She used to work in a nursing home and Mrs. Larson's brother had been one of the residents for a couple of years now. When Jarah had moved into the building about two and a half months ago, the old lady had immediately recognized her and had swarmed her with questions. 'How come she was living here now? How come she hadn't been at work since New Years? You are getting a divorce? But why? I thought your husband was that nice doctor that had treated Mrs. Black's fractured hip? You are pregnant? Aw how wonderful? But are you ready to be a single mother?'  
  
She wasn't offended by the questions. She'd had years of experience with the elderly and that was just how most of them were, alone and thus very invested in other people's lives. She had learned to just shrug it off after dealing with it day after day on the job.  
  
Right now, Jarah was actually happy to have somebody to talk to on occasion and share her pregnancy experiences with. She was alone. After leaving her husband, Jackson, she had broken off all communication with him and she wasn't much for socializing in her personal life so the only people she had talked to in almost three months had only been doctors, Mrs. Larson once or twice a week and her dad once, to let him know she could no longer be reached under her old number. Not that he ever called, but he had taught her manners and she thought it had been the polite thing to let him know what was going on.  
  
He didn't care. The divorce was just another disappointment and somehow he had found a way to make her feel guilty for not being able to speed up the pregnancy. He wanted to meet his grandchild as fast as possible. And it better be a boy. He didn't have much use for girls.  
  
Jarah had been a tomboy growing up. More interested in cars and Ninja Turtles than in Barbie dolls, that was pretty much the only thing she had ever done to make him proud. Act like a boy. He still faulted her though for wanting to wear pretty dresses while she helped him change tires or clean their cars. By now she should have learned that there just was absolutely no way to make that man happy. He always found the negative, even in the most positive things. But she still hadn't given up hope. She thought finally giving him a grandchild would get her in his good graces once and for all.  
  
########### ########## ######## ######### ######## ########  
  
As soon as she had finished putting all the groceries away and was on her way to the couch to put her feet up, Jarah just froze. She was standing in the middle of the room, a glass filled with iced decaf vanilla latte in her hand, stopped dead in her tracks and just groaned.  
  
“What the hell am I thinking? I just invited a complete stranger into my apartment for a drink??? What the hell is wrong with me? That's not me at all! Boy, this pregnancy really IS doing a number on my head! What if he really shows up? Then what? I don't do small talk! Well I do, but I am really bad at it. What if he is an ex-convict or something? Sure he is hot, he helped me out once, I've seen him every day for two weeks, but he barely ever says good morning back, when I walk by. I don't know anything about him, not even his name! Shit! Oh God, a pregnant woman he doesn't know, who almost knocked him flat on his ass when he first ran into her, asked him to her apartment for drinks? I can just imagine what he is thinking. Great Jarah, it's been a while, but you did it again. You made a gigantic fool out of yourself. Awesome!”  
  
Jarah stood there, arguing with herself out loud, almost spilling her latte from waving her hands around while she was talking to herself. Maybe she WAS finally going insane. Was she really that desperate for company now? Well, he almost never said good morning and she was sure she had imagined his nod, so what were the chances that he would actually show up?  
  
######## ########### ######## ######## ######## ########  
  
Daryl Dixon was still waiting for someone to jump out from one of the apartments and tell him that he was on candid camera or something.  
  
The girl that had taken up permanent residence in his mind about two weeks ago had asked him to come to her apartment for a drink after work. He was a Dixon, and Dixons didn't get that lucky, so it had to be a joke, right?  
  
His infatuation with her had been instant. One look into her large brown eyes with little flecks of green in them, that looked like beautiful tiny green oceans he could get lost in, and he hadn't been himself anymore. He found himself thinking about her constantly. Even though he tried to keep his mind off of her, she always found a way to sneak back in. He didn't care that she was pregnant, she was absolutely stunning with her shiny dark brown locks that went down to the middle of her back and her beautiful full lips. They were just right, pouty, but not too big to look unnatural and fake, just sexy and sensual.  
  
Her body type was not the type that Daryl usually found attractive. He loved curves and apart from her round belly, she was not the overly curvy type. Her breasts looked to be just about a handful in size and her hips seemed more straight than curvy. She was tiny, but she did have a nice butt and legs that went on for miles and his mouth kept watering at the thought of grabbing that firm ass in his hands and lifting her up to have her wrap her long slim legs around his waist.  
  
She even invaded his dreams, leading to an extremely embarrassing incident involving his brother Merle a couple of days ago. Daryl had dreamed about her, he was still able to remember it vividly, like it really happened. He had banged her doggy style on his bed, getting a kick out of the moans, that erupted from her sexy little mouth every single time he slapped those perfectly round butt cheeks.  
  
Apparently his pelvis had been mimicking the movements from his dream and when his brother came in late after a visit to his favorite bar, he had entered Daryl's bedroom to investigate the weird noises and found his little brother humping the hell out of his mattress, moaning and groaning like a little bitch.  
  
He got torn out of his hot dream by Merle's roaring laughter. The man almost cried from laughing so hard, while Daryl felt like his face was going to burn off his skull, he was blushing so hard. He had been absolutely mortified, he had briefly considered leaving the country. He knew Merle wouldn't let him live that down for weeks, especially knowing that Daryl had fantasized about the pregnant girl Merle had caught him staring at the week before. One of the few times Daryl hated their shared penchant for being observant.  
  
Of course Merle had blabbed that little incident to everybody who was and wasn't interested. Little Darylina had fucked his mattress damn near into the ground, because he was perving out on some fat, pregnant chick, whose first name he didn't even know. Daryl hadn't shown his face at the bar for days, preferring to not be humiliated EVERY night.  
  
If Merle found out that his little brother had gone to see her, the elder Dixon would have a field day. Daryl would give Merle even more ammunition to be used against him. On the other hand, Merle didn't have to know. Especially if it was just a one time thing, which he figured it would be. The woman just wanted to be polite and say thanks. And maybe if he accepted the invitation and got to know her a little tonight, maybe he would lose interest, because she would no longer be this mystical creature to him or maybe he would find out something about her, that would absolutely turn him off. It might be a way to kick her out of his screwed up mind.  
  
But deep down he knew that very probably wasn't going to happen. What had happened with her that first day had never happened to him before. Ever. She was not really his type and from the looks of it she was also out of his league after having been married to some fancy-ass doctor, but once he had looked directly into her eyes, there had been a connection, like she was a kindred soul. Daryl had felt like a major pussy even thinking words that might just as well have come fresh out of a damn romance novel, but it' was exactly what it felt like. There were no other ways to describe it Something about her was special, she was able to make him feel something positive inside of him, and he didn't even know her yet, which was why he was so damn intrigued and infatuated.  
  
Still, what would they even talk about? He wasn't big on talking, much less initiating a conversation. That would be up to her, but she was a woman, so she should be good with that kind of stuff, he figured. Women were supposed to be all chatty and shit. He would just sit there and have a drink and listen. He was good at listening and she would be too absorbed in talking to notice that he was staring at her, painstakingly studying her every feature.  
  
In the next four hours Daryl went back and forth between deciding to go and then deciding not to go about 127 times, before ultimately deciding not to take her up on her invitation. He finished his work, went down the stairs, left the building, sat in his truck, put the key in the ignition and started the car. However, he wasn't able to bring himself to go home. At least not yet. Contrary to popular belief he wasn't stupid. This was a chance. Dixons don't get very many chances. He would be the biggest moron on the planet to pass it up. He had nothing to lose. He killed the engine and got out of the truck and went back into the building. He was nervous as fuck, but hell, he was gonna go through with it. Dixons aren't cowards.  
  
############ ############# ########### ############  
  
The loud knock on the door nearly gave Jarah a heart attack. She was happy and in a panic at the same time. This was happening, she really had invited a stranger to come to her apartment for drinks and he really had accepted.  
  
“Holy fucking shit. What now? Do I shake his hand or what? No, better not, my hands are sweaty as fuck.” she muttered to herself on her way to the door. She was so nervous it was ridiculous. Why hadn't she just baked him some muffins or her kick-ass Cream Cheese Brownies instead of inviting him into her home? That was what she would have usually done. Had to be the pregnancy brain or his eyes and/or arms had put some spell on her. She wasn't the kind of girl that got swept off her feet just by a man looking at her, but this guy? There was something about him, other than just being insanely attractive.  
  
'Well, here goes nothing!' Jarah took one last deep breath before yanking the door open.  
  
“Hi,... nice to see you. Uumm, wanna come in?” She stepped aside and let him enter the apartment after he had given her a little nod.  
  
“Thanks,...” he went a few steps past her and looked around. Boy this was awkward. Why hadn't he just gone home?  
  
“Please have a seat!” she motioned towards the big comfy-looking gray couch. “What can I get you? I have Jack Daniels, wine, Southern Comfort and if you prefer something non-alcoholic water, orange juice, apple juice, Seven Up and Coca Cola.”  
  
“JD and Coke would be good.” he mumbled and went right back to chewing the inside of his lip nervously after he had gotten the words out.  
  
“No problem, you want ice?” Another little nod. “Alright, make yourself at home, I'll be right back!” She gave him a little smile and left for the kitchen.  
  
Daryl kept looking around for a bit, but there wasn't much to see. No personal pictures, no posters, no paintings. Nothing but blank white walls staring back at him. No little trinkets people bought at the 99 cent store to fill their lives with possessions to make them seem less lonely. Nothing to tell him something about the woman who was fixing their drinks in the kitchen.  
  
Finally he spotted some CD's, DVD's and a couple of books on a shelf. He went over and skimmed over the band names. Korn, Korn, Korn, Korn,... well not hard to figure out what her favorite band was. Some Metallica albums, some Limp Bizkit and other bands whose names he didn't recognize. She liked it loud and hard. They might have something in common there.  
  
He picked up a DVD box set, looking at the pictures on the back. Six Feet Under, he wasn't familiar with that show. Dexter, he knew that one. Wasn't bad. Supernatural, True Blood, American Beauty, Queen of the Damned, ALF. He smiled at the last one. Had to be a childhood favorite. He had liked it too when he was a kid.  
  
He skipped the rest of the DVDs and skimmed the book titles. Nothing familiar. Guilty Pleasures, The Laughing Corpse, Circus of the Damned, More Hot Sex: How to Do It Longer, Better, and Hotter Than Ever, Fif- Wait what?!? His eyes snapped back to the previous book. Sweet jesus, she had some kind of manual for having hot sex? Man, that gave him all kinds of bad ideas. He was tempted to pick up the book and look at exactly what kind of tips she had read up on.  
  
“Sorry I took so long, first the bottle didn't want to be opened and then the ice gave me a hard time, but here you go.” She handed him his glass before seating herself on the couch, waiting for him to follow her. She took a sip of her orange juice while he sat down on the other end of the couch and smiled.  
  
“Thank you for your help today and sorry for being a bother.”  
  
“It was nothing, don't have to apologize. Can't just yank that stuff up the stairs in one go in your condition.”  
  
“Yeah, I guess. You know, I didn't even think about ordering stuff online until you mentioned it today.”  
  
Daryl looked at her in surprise. “Seriously? Should have been the first thing you thought about. This is the third floor. How long did you want to keep lugging the stuff upstairs?”  
  
He sounded almost like he was scolding her, he even had the matching scowl on his face and Jarah was a little intimidated.  
  
“Well, I've always done fine without help. I figured I would just go out more often and buy less, so I wouldn't have to drag too much weight up the stairs.” she explained the plan she had come up with.  
  
“That's stupid. Putting that kids health in danger. Just have that shit delivered. Or ask someone to help out. Don't you have any friends?”  
  
“I do, but my best friend isn't in town. Her grandpa is dying and she flew out to spend his last days with him. Should be back in a week or two, but still. I don't like asking for help.”  
  
“Well if she's a friend, it shouldn't be a problem. That's what friends are for, right?” he looked at her and Jarah could see that despite of the gruff voice, his eyes held a soft expression. He didn't seem to be mad, it was probably just the way he talked.  
  
“Right,...” she looked at him for a moment while he took a sip of his Jack and Coke. She could loose herself in looking at him. Jarah had never been into “pretty boys” she liked her men manly and rough and with an edge. Exactly like the man sitting on her couch. Not that she would ever pursue it, she was pregnant and he was certainly not interested, but it didn't hurt to look at him.  
  
“Hey, uhm” she paused for a moment. Had he already said what his name was? Damn, she had been so forgetful lately, if he had mentioned it, she didn't remember.  
  
“Daryl.” his raspy voice tore her out of her thoughts. Obviously he was a mind reader.  
  
“Right, sorry!”  
  
“Why sorry? Haven't told you before!”  
  
“Really? Good, I've been such a scatterbrain recently. I'm Jarah.”  
  
“Jarah? Don't think I've ever heard that one before.”  
  
“Yeah, it's not that common. I looked it up once, it's a unisex name and it's got like Aboriginal and Hebrew origins. I think it was some kind of tree. Eucalyptus or something like that.” Daryl nodded at her explanation and they both fell silent again. Jarah wasn't comfortable with that and sighed. “Well, I like the smell of eucalyptus...”  
  
They looked at each other for a moment before Jarah burst into laughter.  
  
“Sorry! Good Lord I have no idea why I said that. Stupid. I'm not the best small talker as you can probably tell by now.”  
  
A smile tugged at the corners of Daryl's mouth. Her carefree laugh was contagious.  
  
“It's okay, neither am I. Always listen more than I talk.” he told her with the tiniest smile.  
  
“Great, then we can just sit here and listen to the other one listening.” She giggled as she reached for her glass.  
  
“Yeah, I guess,... can I ask you something?” she nodded while she drank some juice, giving him the go ahead. “Why'd you invite me? I mean, I could be a serial killer for all you know.”  
  
“I don't know, actually. It's totally not something I usually do. I just... I just appreciated your help and wanted to thank you. Guess I felt like just saying the words didn't cut it. Can't really explain.”  
  
“Like I said, it was nothing. Everybody would have done that!”  
  
'But I wouldn't have invited everybody into my home for a drink' Jarah thought.  
  
“Yeah, maybe, but today it was you!”  
  
“And tomorrow it might be Joey,... you gonna invite him, too?” Daryl didn't even know why he asked or why the thought of her saying yes made him want to strangle Joey.  
  
“The guy with the bandana? Hell no, I don't trust that pretty smile!”  
  
“Why not? The women in this building are wetting their panties over him all the time!” Daryl had witnessed on more than one occasion how some of Jarah's female neighbors had been all over him. Young, tall guy with a killer smile and a six pack, that's what pretty women like Jarah went for in his opinion.  
  
“Nah, not me. I've met guys like him. Pretty on the outside, but mean sons of bitches on the inside. I don't do perfect.”  
  
Daryl liked that answer. He far from perfect and he was far from being pretty. Merle might have been wrong in saying that a girl like her wouldn't even touch him with a stick.  
  
“Anyway, how long have you been working for the construction company?” Jarah changed the topic before it got too personal.  
  
“Started the same time we started work on this building. Friend of mine got me in.”  
  
“What did you do before that?”  
  
Damn. Now she would find out what a loser he really was.  
  
“Was between jobs for some time. Used to do a lot of stuff here and there. Worked as a mechanic, first cars, then bikes, even did some plumbing for some time.”  
  
“Wow, multi-talented, that's cool!” she smiled and he was surprised that she seemed genuine and didn't seem to think he was a loser for not having a career or not having stuck to one thing.  
  
“Yeah, I get to do a lot of different things on this job, too. I like it.”  
  
“I can imagine. I can get bored pretty quickly, too. It's why I liked my job. I worked in a nursing home and had specialized in caring for people suffering from dementia and Alzheimers. Never gets boring, I can tell you that.”  
  
“So why'd you quit?”  
  
“Oh I didn't, it's just not very pregnancy-friendly occupation. Constantly lifting people to transfer them from their beds into their wheelchairs, rolling them over in bed to change their positions so they don't get bedsores, crouching down in front of them to put their pants and socks and shoes on... Some of them were sick and contagious. As soon as my doctor confirmed the pregnancy he banned me from working.”  
  
“Right,... did you tell your doctor that you still do the heavy lifting?” he looked at her suspiciously and had his suspicions confirmed when she blushed.  
  
“Erm, no... she doesn't need to know that! She'll just give me a looong looong lecture about keeping my baby and myself healthy.”  
  
“Well she's the doc, so she's gotta be right. Just stop doing that shit or you might as well go back to work or get a fucking abortion or whatever.”  
  
“Yes sir!” she laughed a little, but was only met with a gaze that couldn't exactly be described as soft.  
  
“It's not funny. You're gonna be a momma. It's your job to take care of the kid and that starts before it's born!” Daryl slammed his glass on her coffee table and got up.  
  
“Gotta go, thanks for the drink!”  
  
“Umm, okay... sorry if I said something wrong!” she followed him to the door, confused why he was suddenly so upset.  
  
“Just stop being stupid!” he muttered before he slammed the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Jarah looked up with a frown when she heard a knock on her door. She looked back down at the food on the table. Everything she had ordered from her favorite restaurant seemed to be here, so it probably wasn't the delivery guy again.  
  
She hated unexpected visitors. It gave her little anxiety attacks when she got startled by knocking or the ringing of the doorbell. She never opened the door for anyone who hadn't called her in advance to tell her they were coming over. She was a young single woman in a big city all alone. She only opened for the mailman when she expected a package or for people she knew were coming over and that was usually just her best friend Natalie and she was still in New York with her parents and grandparents.  
  
She turned back to her food, hoping whoever it was, would just go away, but no such luck. A second knock soon followed. It sounded a little more urgent, than the first one. Jarah took a deep breath and walked to the door.  
  
“Who is it?” She called through the door, her heart pounding.  
  
“Daryl.” The now familiar deep voice could be heard through the door. She sighed a breath of relief and unlocked the door.  
  
“Hey,...” she greeted him timidly. She didn't know what she had said to offend him last night and didn't know how to act around him.  
  
“Hey. Got a minute?” he looked just as insecure as she did. He'd been an ass last night, once his temper had cooled off, he knew he had been wrong to tell her she was stupid and run out of there. He had avoided the hallway all day, he wanted to apologize after work and not in passing when the other guys would have been able to listen in. He didn't need the gossip.  
  
“Yeah, look, I don't know what I said to make you upset, but it really wasn't my intention and I am sorry!” She motioned him inside and closed the door behind him. Daryl looked at her in surprise.  
  
“Why the hell are YOU apologizing? I came here to say I'm sorry!”  
  
“You? But you didn't do anything!” Jarah was confused. What did he want to apologize for.  
  
“Yeah I did. Called you stupid, kinda went off on you... I'm sorry. I just,... I don't know, forget it.” he dug his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants and started biting his lip. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that he didn't take to negligent mothers too well. She would ask him why and he would have to tell her that his mother had been one of them and that it had cost him dearly.  
  
After running out of her apartment yesterday he had to remind himself that not all mothers were like his own He didn't know Jarah, he wasn't right to judge her. Not yet anyway. He looked down at the floor where he caught sight of her bare feet. Daryl hated feet with a passion, but not hers. She even had pretty feet. She was not making it easy on him to not crush on her. His eyes traveled up her bare legs. Was she even wearing any kind of pants or shorts? She was wearing oversized black and white ringed sweater that fell down to mid-thigh and left her left shoulder bare. No bra strap. Damn. Not she was absolutely not making it easy for him. She looked cute, adorable and sexy at the same time.  
  
“Okay, apology accepted. I didn't think that you did anything wrong. Kinda nice that someone cares.” She cleared her throat as a light blush crept up her cheeks and smiled. “Anyway,... have you eaten? I just had some food delivered.”  
  
“Um no, I haven't. You sure?” he followed her into the living room and stopped short when he saw the amount of food on the coffee table. “Shit, I'm sorry. You expecting company? I don't wanna crash the party!” he went into flight mode, he did not feel like meeting new people tonight.  
  
Jarah blushed furiously. She scratched her forehead and brushed her hair behind her ears, then wrapping her arms around herself protectively.  
  
“Nooo,... no company. Just me. And now you. Lord, I'm pregnant okay? My morning sickness just stopped a week ago and I am finally able to stuff my face again. I know I am a disgusting pig, I just can't help it, okay? I'm hungry and the baby is hungry, too!”  
  
Daryl had unintentionally hit a nerve. Jarah had always loved food. She loved cooking and baking and eating. She had never been overweight, she had inherited the slim built from her mother's side of the family, but her father had always been so obsessed with looks that a lot of her favorite foods had been banned from their household. When she had gained a couple of pounds during puberty her father had been a man on a mission.  
  
He had put her on a strict diet, refusing to let her get fat, even though she had been nowhere near getting fat. He had kept taunting her, commenting on her fat ass, telling her not to wear tight jeans so she wouldn't accentuate the weight gain even more. One time he had come into her room while she was changing. He had pulled her in front of the mirror and had dug his fingers into her side, pulling at the flesh hard, telling her that she had to be cheating on her diet because all this fat was still there. The man was a maniac. Even when she told him that she was pregnant, the first things he said were, 'Well good for you, 'cause I sure as hell won't get to see it much' and 'You don't have to get fat. Try to lose weight instead, so you won't look too bloated in case you retain too much water.'  
  
Man her father would have gotten a kick out of the fact that she indeed had lost weight during the pregnancy instead of gaining it. The morning sickness had been a big part of that. She could stand to pack on a couple of pounds now, so she wanted to indulge. She just hadn't thought that she would get caught in the act by Daryl, so she got a little defensive.  
  
Daryl was taken aback by her outburst and quickly shook his head when he realized that he had put his foot in his mouth.  
  
“Aw fuck no, that was not what I meant! Just didn't wanna hang around in case you were gonna have people over. Not judging. Hell I could eat a horse pretty much every minute of every day. I'm always hungry. Relax.” he tried to calm her back down.  
  
“Sorry” She rubbed her hands through her face and gave herself a moment to calm down. Not every guy was like her father and only cared about good looks. She looked back up at him with an apologetic smile. “I'm sorry for getting all bitchy. It's just a touchy subject. Come on. Sit. You want another Jack and Coke with ice?”  
  
He nodded and sat down on the couch in the same spot he had occupied the night before and snagged a french fry while Jarah went to get his drink. He hadn't eaten all day, he was famished.  
  
She came back with two plates and his drink a couple of minutes later. She used to eat straight out of the boxes, but now she had a man here, that wouldn't be appropriate. Plates were the more civilized way to go here. She didn't want him to think she was a disgusting pig after all. She giggled when she saw him stuff a fry in his mouth and handed him the plate.  
  
“Okay than, let's dig in. Take what you want. Probably a good thing that we're sharing. My fridge is full, wouldn't have been able to put the leftovers in there anyway.”  
  
Daryl grabbed another couple of fries while motioning over to the pizza.  
  
“What's on that? Can't really tell!”  
  
“Oh that's chicken, bell peppers and mozzarella. It's good!”  
  
“Chicken on pizza? Are you serious?” he looked at her with his nose scrunched up a little.  
  
“Yes I am and it's really good. Trust me, I had the same reaction at first. My friend Natalie introduced me to it. I was really skeptical and now it's my favorite pizza ever! Go ahead and try it! I won't say anything if you spit it out again, if you really don't like it!”  
  
“Alright, if you say so!” Daryl reached over and grabbed a slice, immediately taking a bite out of it, before letting the slice drop on his plate. “Wow, you're right, this IS good!”  
  
“Right? It's amazing! Hey, careful in there! Well, the little one seems to like it, too!” she winced, but it didn*t stop her from smiling as she rubbed her right hand over her belly.  
  
“Is he kicking?” Daryl looked down at her round belly curiously.  
  
“Feels more like he's doing a ton of somersaults in there. Happy swimming, little fella. Hey, how'd you know that it was a boy?” she knew she definitely hadn't told him that.  
  
“Overheard you talking to your neighbor.” he shrugged, trying to hide the little blush that was spreading on his face for admitting eavesdropping.  
  
“Oh right... oh hey, I registered online with WalMart today and I'll order most of my stuff there now. Thanks for the tip.”  
  
“That's good.” Daryl was relieved that she had gone ahead and done that. It meant that she did care for her child after all.  
  
“Do you have kids?” she asked after a while of eating in silence.  
  
“Nah... and don't have no wife either, in case you were gonna ask that question next. Wouldn't be here otherwise.”  
  
“Loyal, huh? That's good.” she liked that. Loyal men were hard to find.  
  
“If you make a commitment, you should stick to it.” he looked up at her and saw her smile waver. He sighed. Looks like he had put his other foot in his mouth. Well he'd never been one to do things half-assed.  
  
“Right...” she half-whispered and put her food down. She wasn't that hungry anymore.  
  
“What happened to the dad? He step out on ya?” he cringed inwardly after the words had left his mouth. Way to go and take the careful approach.  
  
“No, he didn't. I just left. I woke up one night, I felt weird,... we'd been trying for a baby so we had tests at home and I thought 'what the hell, let's take the test'. I went into the bathroom, did what I had to do and I didn't even have to wait the two minutes, the plus sign immediately showed up and while I watched those blue lines develop I all of a sudden knew, that I didn't love Jax. Not like a wife is supposed to love her husband. I always knew that he loved me more than I loved him. I always thought I just wasn't capable of feeling real love and that what I felt for Jackson had been as good as it gets, but somehow in that moment I realized, that I am capable and that I just wasn't feeling it for my husband. It was Christmas, Jackson loves Christmas and I didn't have the heart to leave him then. He was so excited about the baby. I stayed for another couple of months, I tried to get back into our old life, but I just couldn't. I wasn't able to keep living a lie. I started to hate him. I don't know why, I can't explain. I just suddenly wasn't able to stand him anymore. He was not allowed to touch me at all. Even if he tried to just touch my hand, I would just recoil and pull away like I had been bitten by a snake. I was hurting him deeply. He didn't know what was happening. It wasn't fair to him. So one night I just decided to leave and like three days later I moved in here and had my lawyer contact him and send him divorce papers. Shit, I don't know why I am telling you this. Doesn't make for a very good second impression.”  
  
“Everybody's got baggage. For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing. Didn't waste anymore of his time or yours. Being stuck in an unhappy marriage isn't doing anyone any good.” Daryl knew firsthand where it could lead.  
  
“Yeah I know, I saw my folks being stuck in one for eighteen years. The kids are the ones that suffer... most parents just can't help themselves and unleash their anger on the kids.” Daryl looked up at her in surprise. Damn, seems like they had more in common than he thought.  
  
“Your folks, too huh?” Daryl asked quietly, admitting that he might have gone through similar things she had to go through during her childhood.  
  
She smiled and raised her glass. “But we made it!”  
  
He followed suit and clanked his glass against hers and gave her his first real smile.  
  
“Hell yeah we did!”  
  
######## ########## ######### ####### ####### #######  
  
The next couple of days they went back to their old routine. Jarah would leave her apartment to check her mailbox over the course of the morning and if she saw Daryl on her way, she'd say good morning. The only difference was, that now, he actually said it back every single time. Otherwise it was like nothing ever happened and he hadn't been to her apartment twice.  
  
It was Friday now and Daryl had always been a little miffed on Fridays, because it meant two whole days without catching a glimpse of Jarah. Just like he had suspected, his theory that his infatuation with her would just go away once he'd spent some time with her, had turned out to be wrong. Their time spent together, seeing her big smile up close, hearing her laugh, being in her home, it all only made him want her more. So today he was extra cranky and his co-workers were steering clear of him at all costs. An angry redneck was a very scary redneck.  
  
It also hadn't helped matters that she hadn't left her apartment all day and he was almost done with work. That meant he would have to go three whole days without seeing her. During his lunch break he thought about going to her apartment to check if she was alright, but he knew that would probably look creepy, so he decided against doing so. It was close to 6 pm and his co-workers were wrapping up for the day. He would just have to accept the fact that he wouldn't see her today.  
  
He grabbed his stuff and went down the stairs to leave the building. He was surprised and very delighted, when he saw Jarah close her mailbox and start to leave the building while going through her mail. He frowned and wondered how she had been able to sneak by him undetected and also where the hell she was going. It would get dark soon. He picked up some speed and quickly came up behind her.  
  
“Hey!”  
  
“Oh hey, Daryl. How you doin'? She turned her head to look at him and smiled.  
  
“Good! And you?”  
  
“Good, too. Off for the weekend?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Great, have a good one. I'll see ya next week!”  
  
“Wait, where are you headed?” he wasn't about to let her wander around in the dark. The neighborhood was not the best in the city.  
  
“My doctor, the baby hasn't moved much the past couple of days and she wants to check his heartbeat.” her voice wavered a little and it was now that he noticed that she was pale and looked like she hadn't slept well for a couple of nights. She didn't have to say anymore, now there was no way in hell he would let her walk there and back home later.  
  
“C'mon, I'll drive ya.” Jarah opened her mouth to protest, but he quickly waved her off. “Not up for discussion. Get in the car, girl!”  
  
He opened and closed the door for her, making sure that he wasn't going to hit her with it. He got in himself and started the engine.  
  
“So tell me, where to?”  
  
“Johnson Ferry Road. You know where that is?”  
  
“Hell yeah I do, you were gonna walk there? Jesus girl! How long is this gonna take?”  
  
“About 30 minutes up to an hour I guess, depends how long she keeps me hooked up to the machine, but you don't have to stay Daryl, you are already doing more than enough. I'll call a cab for the way back.”  
  
“No way, I'll stay and take you back home afterward. Not gonna let you get in any cab after dark. Those cab drivers are creepy.”  
  
“Daryl, really. I don't want you to miss out on your plans because you feel obligated or something.”  
  
“Obligated? I don't feel fucking obligated. Your baby might not be doing well, you don't look so hot either, I'm not a heartless ass, I am not going to let you wander around town at night or get in a fucking cab after getting who knows what kinda news. Now shut up and deal with it, I said it ain't up for discussion!” Daryl's voice rose in volume with each word, but he still managed to keep from full-on yelling at her.  
  
Jarah nodded timidly and just gave him a little 'okay, thanks' before she turned to look out the window. She didn't want to see him that she had to fight a smile. He was gruff on the outside, but he was being really sweet. It was cute and she really really liked it.  
  
The drive was spent in silence and the closer they got to the practice, the more nervous Daryl got. He had never been to an OB/GYN office and he felt a little weird about it. Hoped there wouldn't be too many women in there, looking at him while they waited, wondering what kind of father he was ever gonna make. It didn't even occur to him, that he had the option of just waiting in the car.  
  
######### ######### ######## ######## ##########  
  
The waiting room had been empty thank goodness. Jarah had immediately been ushered into one of the exam rooms while the girl from the front desk had showed him to the waiting room. It looked harmless enough. No pink shit or anything vagina-related around, just a couple of comfy chairs and some small tables with magazines on them. Everything was beige and brown and he started to relax. He was still worried about Jarah though. He had no idea what he was going to do if she got bad news.  
  
The next 50 minutes were spent thinking about her and how he was lucky to even be here with her. That she let him do this, let him be close. He alternated between chewing on his thumb and chewing on the inside of his bottom lip nervously. The longer it took the more nervous he got. When she did show up, he was barely able to keep from letting a 'finally' slip out of his mouth. He didn't want to make her feel like doing this was bothering him.  
  
“Hey, what's going on? You okay? And the little one?” Shit she had cried. Her eyes were puffy and red. But she was smiling, so that had to be good.  
  
“We're both fine. The doctor said he might have been just lazy and sleepy. She'll start monitoring him more closely now though, just in case.”  
  
“That's good. So are you good to go home?”  
  
“Yeah let's go!”  
  
He led her back to his track and got them back on the road.  
  
“Do you have any plans tonight?” Jarah spoke up as soon as he had pulled out of their parking spot.  
  
“Not really, just gonna hang out in front of the TV I guess.”  
  
“May I make you dinner, then? To say thank you?”  
  
“You know, you don't have to fix me a drink or make me dinner every time I do something to help.”  
  
“Yes I do! Trust me, I don't take your help for granted. It is very much appreciated and I want to give back. Please?”  
  
Daryl understood where she was coming from and he knew she would be disappointed if he decline, so he nodded his consent, successfully his excitement of spending the evening with her and actually have her cook for him.  
  
“Yeah, okay. If ya really want to!”  
  
“I do, thank you.” she was beaming at him, causing all kinds of crazy feels in his chest and belly.  
  
########### ########### ######## ########  
  
She had already prepped a meatloaf in the afternoon and the smell of it while it was baking in the oven had made Daryl's mouth water. Instead of staying in the living room by himself he had opted to keep her company in the kitchen. He watched her peel and dice potatoes while he leaned against the fridge and nursed a beer. He could definitely get used to this, he loved watching her do her thing. While she worked she told him about her best friend Natalie and about her grandfather that was dying from liver cancer.  
  
“Grandpa Herb and Grandma Betty are seriously the best! I met them a couple of times, they instantly adopted me and treated me like their own granddaughter. So much love in that house. And fun. Dear God, we spent hours doubled over from laughter. I'll never forget this one time they came to visit Nat. I went over there because Betty was making lunch for all of us. So she was busy in the kitchen and Nat and I kept her company, much like you are doing right now. Then Herb came in, he was looking for a piece of paper. He wanted to write something down, I can't remember what though. Anyway, Betty said she left a piece of paper on the table, he could use that. So he went and picked it up and he came back into the kitchen, kinda confused and he was like. “Betty, what are these numbers you wrote down?” And Grandma Betty, like completely casual was like, “Oh, that's just the size of a penis!”  
  
Daryl sputtered and coughed and almost choked on his beer. “What the hell?” Jarah laughed and slapped his back.  
  
“Yeah, that was pretty much our reaction! Herb asked her why in the world she would have written down a penis size and she was like 'Well there was this guy on a talk show yesterday and he wasn't happy with the size of his penis. But look at that. Girls, look at that. That's good, isn't it? He should be proud! That is a well-sized penis!'” Jarah was laughing so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes, she still remembered it vividly. It was one of the funniest things she had ever experienced. “I swear, she just wouldn't stop saying the word penis and just went on and on about how happy he should be about it and you should have seen the way Herb looked at her, he was so utterly confused and just couldn't believe it. It was awesome!”  
  
Daryl had to laugh himself, not just because of the story but because of Jarah laughing her way through it. Her laugh really was contagious, even Daryl had a hard time fighting it. He loved how animatedly she was talking and how her voice got a little scratchy and high pitched from laughing. The whole thing felt really great. He knew he would miss it dearly as soon as he was back home with Merle.  
  
An hour later he was pretty much in culinary heaven. He hadn't had a meal this good in ages. Hell he'd probably NEVER had a meal this good. Her meatloaf had bacon and mushrooms and big chunks of melting cheese in it. The mashed potatoes had just the right amount of garlic in them and the gravy was the best he ever had. He felt like burying his face in his meal and inhale it. He quickly put away two servings before Jarah had even finished her first one.  
  
She was beaming, it made her so happy that he liked her food. She quickly refilled his plate a third time and took great pleasure in watching him eat. When he leaned back with his belly feeling like it was about to burst she started clearing the table and smiled.  
  
“You smoke right? I'm sure you're craving one right about now. If you want you can smoke here. Just open the window and I'll clean up the kitchen real quick.”  
  
“You sure?” he didn't want to put the baby's health at risk by smoking in her apartment.  
  
“Yeah, just blow the smoke outside. It'll be fine.” She walked over to a shelf and handed him an ashtray before she took their plates into the kitchen.  
  
Daryl opened the window and lit a smoke. He propped his elbows on the windowsill and closed his eyes for a moment while he enjoyed his smoke and the cool night air. He didn't even want to think about leaving here tonight. This night had been amazing so far, he didn't want it to end and he didn't want to go back to his own home, having Merle ask him where he was. He knew this probably would never lead to being something romantic, but right now he knew that even just being friends with her would be okay with him, if it got him some nights like this.  
  
Sure, it would be hard managing his crush on her, but he was sure that over time he would be able to handle it. Being friends with her would be better than not having her around at all.  
  
####### ######### ######## ####### ########


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
“Hey, think you can stick around for another couple of minutes?” Jarah had come back into the living room, when she had heard him close the window.  
  
“Yeah, why?” Daryl finished off his beer and sat back on the couch.  
  
“I'd like to show you something. I'm so excited about it, I just wanna share!” he noticed that she was carrying her laptop She sat down and put it on her knees. Daryl had to scoot closer and kind of look over her shoulder to see what she wanted to show him.  
  
“I want you to meet my baby!” she clicked on the play-button and Daryl's jaw fell open as he watched the video.  
  
“Holy fuck, there's a baby in there!” he muttered in amazement.  
  
Jarah laughed and nudged him with her shoulder.  
  
“Well it better be! Anything else would be kind of bad!”  
  
“Shit, that's not what I meant. I just thought,... you're not really that big yet, I figured it would still look more like a big bean or something. But that is a real baby. He is like, finished, he's got toes and fingers... fuck he's got a face!” Daryl wouldn't have been able to stop looking even if he had wanted too. It was truly amazing what modern technology could do. He thought ultrasounds were like a mess of black and white only doctors would be able to decipher, but this. He was able to see the baby's face. His nose, his little fingers moving, stretching his legs, holding his cheek, everything.  
  
“I SO know what you mean. Up until today I never really thought of him as a person. He didn't have a face, he was just this mass of cells that I love to death and that was growing and moving around, but now it's real. He is really in there, cute little nose and all. It's amazing, but it scares the shit out of me. I'm already scared that I'm gonna fuck him up, but you know what scares me even more right now?”  
  
“No. What?” Daryl finally took his eyes off the screen to look at her. He was shocked at how close they were, he was practically resting his chin on her shoulder without even noticing. Her cheek was almost touching him, now that she had turned her head to look at him. They were so damn close, his heart started hammering in his chest, all he could see was how beautiful she was and how her lips looked like they were begging for him to kiss them. He had to pull away before he would do something stupid and actually do kiss her.  
  
“He is real now... and he is already that big and he still has another 15 weeks to grow and I will have to push him out! That's what scares me the most right now! Holy fuck, don't let that head get any bigger. And dear Lord please don't let him have shoulders like yours!”  
  
“Shoulders like mine? What the fuck do you mean by that?” he finally pulled back and put some much needed distance between them.  
  
“Daryl, your shoulders are as wide as the fucking door! They look amazing, but I wouldn't want them to have to squeeze through my door, so to speak. There aren't enough painkillers in the world!”  
  
Jarah was looking at the screen so she didn't register the surprise on Daryl's face. Did she just say that his shoulders looked amazing? Did she really just say that? There was something about him she had actually described as 'amazing'? Well hello, ego-boost.  
  
“Daryl?” Daryl mentally shook himself, he had totally spaced out for a moment. What was she talking about?  
  
“Sorry, what?” Damn, she had already shut her laptop and put it on the table. How long had he spaced out for exactly?  
  
“I was just asking what your plans for the weekend were.”  
  
“Don't know. Didn't have any, except maybe go hunting with my brother on Sunday if he's up for it!”  
  
“Hunting? Like shoot your own food? That kinda thing?” Jarah had never met a hunter before.  
  
“Yeah, why? Got a problem with that? You certainly aren't one of those veggie people, you make a wicked meatloaf, girl.” he couldn't stand people who gave him flak for shooting Bambi, but still happily wolfed down burger after burger.  
  
“Thanks! And no, I don't have a problem with that. It's cool that you can do that. I don't know if I could do it, to be honest. So you use a rifle, or what?”  
  
“My brother does. I prefer using my crossbow, but I can shoot guns and rifles, too.”  
  
“You have a crossbow? Seriously? Like a real crossbow? That's cool!” Daryl didn't understand why she got so excited over it, but he liked her enthusiasm about his favorite “toy”.  
  
“Yeah, I do. Maybe I'll show it to you one day. Take you out to show you how to shoot it.” he offered nervously. In his mind it was pretty close to asking her for a date.  
  
“Really? Oh my God that would be SO awesome. I've always been interested in learning how to shoot and stuff, but my parents never let me and then when I got older I guess I just forgot about it.” she perked up, she got so excited she could barely contain herself. She didn't know anything specific about guns and weapons in general, but she had always wanted to learn how to handle one. The prospect of Daryl showing her was too good to be true.  
  
“What were your plans for the weekend? Maybe, we could do it on Sunday.” Daryl saw an opening to spend more time with her and took it.  
  
“Well, I'm free but what about your brother? I thought you wanted to go hunting? I don't wanna intrude.”  
  
“Nah you wouldn't. Wasn't set in stone and Merle's often hungover Sunday mornings from a bender.” Daryl would personally make sure that Merle would have other plans on Sunday, even if he had to get his brother shit-faced drunk himself.  
  
“Well okay then. I'm totally in. Oh, but we should probably stick to the crossbow until I checked with my doctor. It's silent and guns make a hell of a lot of noise. Don't know if that would be good for the little fella in here.”  
  
“We can do that. We won't go to the shooting range either. I'll take ya into the woods.”  
  
“Sounds good. What time should I be ready?”  
  
Daryl chewed his lip and took a moment to think before answering.  
  
“I don't want you to set an alarm or something. I could give you my cell phone number. You could sleep in, get ready and give me a call when you're done. We can have breakfast on our way there.” he suggested. This way he could even take her out to eat and then spend the day with her alone in the woods. Perfect.  
  
“That sounds really good. Let me just get my phone, I'll program it in right away.” she got it out of her purse and plopped down close next to him again. “Alright, shoot!”  
  
He told her his number and once she had programed it in, she read it back to make sure it was right. Daryl nodded and frowned when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He dug it out and his frown deepened when he didn't recognize the number.  
  
“That's just me, now you got my number, too!” she giggled. Daryl quickly saved it and added her name, noticing how late it was before he shoved the phone back in the pocket of his pants.  
  
“Good, in case anything changes I'll let you know. I should get going, it's late.”  
  
“Okay, I'll walk you to the door.” She got up and handed him a foil-covered plate. “Leftovers, it would be a shame to have to throw anything out and you seemed to like it. Thanks again Daryl, for taking me to the doctor and for a nice evening.”  
  
Daryl smiled at her almost timidly. He was glad that he wasn't the only one who had enjoyed their time together. He was really looking forward to Sunday, but of course he wasn't about to tell her that.  
  
“I'll see ya Sunday!” he said instead and shot her one last tiny smile before he left.  
  
He had barely taken two steps after she had closed the door behind him, when he heard a familiar voice.  
  
“Dixon?”  
  
Daryl cursed inwardly before he turned around to look at Joey, who had his arm wrapped around a young blonde girl. “Joey, what's up?”  
  
Joey grinned like a Cheshire cat. He looked at the door Daryl had just come out of and then at the plate in his hand.  
  
“Damn, Daryl. The pregnant chick? Not bad, man! Didn't know you had it in you! You're a kinky son of a bitch, aren't you?”  
  
Daryl wanted to smash his face in and make that stupid grin disappear. This was so not what he needed. Joey was best friends with Cody, the friend who had helped him get the job with the construction crew and Cody was not just Daryl's friend, he was also a drinking buddy of Merle's. Daryl was fucked. Keeping this on the down low was no longer an option.  
  
“Ain't anybody's business but mine!” Daryl spat out, already turning to leave.  
  
“Alright, don't get your panties in a bunch. You headed home?”  
  
“Yeah, see ya on Monday!” Daryl just wanted to get away and go home, so he walked a little faster to get away from Joey and his bimbo. He quickly got in his truck and put the plate next to him, keeping his hand close to it so it wouldn't fall to the floor during the drive.  
  
########### ########### ########## ######## ########  
  
Jarah was getting ready for bed, but was interrupted by her phone ringing. For a moment she got a huge smile on her face and got all excited because a little voice inside her head told her, that it might be Daryl. He had her number now after all. But she knew that was stupid, it sure wasn't him. It turned out to be her best friend Natalie instead.  
  
“Hey Nat,... how are things? Is it over?” she asked referring to her dying grandfather.  
  
“No, not yet, but soon. He is in a vegetative state now. No longer responding or acknowledging us. He stops breathing here and there. Maybe tomorrow morning.” Nat responded. She sounded tired and Jarah knew she was crying.  
  
“If he's really lucky he won't make it through the night. Once they stop breathing for some time here and there, they fade fast. I hope it's sooner rather than later. He's suffered enough.” Jarah knew she could talk openly to Nat. They both worked in the nursing home, they had both watched dozens of their residents die and they knew it was better to have them die quickly than for them to suffer for days or even weeks.  
  
“I know. My family doesn't though. They think I'm heartless for saying what you just did. I guess they are in denial. They don't know what Grandpa is going through. They don't understand.”  
  
“Yeah, it took us a while to understand, too, when we first started. Don't take it to heart. How's Betty doing?”  
  
“She is completely in denial. She still thinks he is gonna pull through. None of us is allowed to even say the word 'funeral'. She starts screaming bloody murder. I can't do this much longer, I just wanna bury him and then come home and grieve without my family around.”  
  
“I understand, I'll be here. I can't drink with you, but I'll be here!”  
  
“I know. Let's not talk about it anymore, I called you so you would distract me for a couple of minutes. How is my godson doing?”  
  
“He is in perfect health. He is just a lazy ass. Had to get his heartbeat checked today, because he stopped moving for a couple of days.” Jarah told her with a laugh as she rubbed her belly lovingly.  
  
“Well maybe that's a good sign. Maybe he'll come out all mellow and stuff. You love your sleep!”  
  
“That I do, can't argue with that, but even if he cries ten times a night, I'll still love him to death.”  
  
“I know. I can't wait for him to finally be here. I just wanna kiss those chubby little cheeks all over until he can't take it anymore. But that's still three months away. Any other news?”  
  
Jarah sighed deeply, debating whether or not she should tell Nat about Daryl for a moment.  
  
“I think I am in big trouble, Natty!” Jarah decided to tell her about him. That would distract her from losing her grandpa for sure.  
  
“What? Why? What's going on?” Natty was concerned, she had been away for a while and had no idea what could have happened.  
  
“Remember how I told you about the construction crew?”  
  
“Yeees... You told me they made one hell of a lot of noise. And didn't you say something about a guy with gorgeous arms who was nice to look at?”  
  
“Yes, exactly. Well... Turns out he is even nicer to look at when he is sitting on my couch!” Jarah held her breath and closed her eyes, steeling herself for what was coming.  
  
“WHAAAAAAT????? Jarah you didn't! Oh my God! What? WHAT? What did you do, what happened, tell me right now!” Natalie was screeching, her voice so high Jarah was sure dog's would be cringing.  
  
“I kind of bumped into him again, he helped me carry my stuff upstairs and I offered him a drink to thank him.”  
  
“Are you serious? No, come on! Seriously? You? Jarah Mason, who barely ever talks to people outside of work, you seriously mean to tell me that you invited a hot guy to have a drink with you in your apartment? Wow, you could knock me down with a feather right now.”  
  
“I know, right? I was nervous as hell, but it was totally cool. That guy has turned me into a chatterbox, he is so easy to talk to. I was a little intimidated at first, cause he's like really rough and edgy on the outside, but he seems really sweet.”  
  
“Wow,... just... WOW! I don't know what to say. Holy fuck, woman! Who knew! So, you did have drinks with him and now what? Is he interested? Did you kiss? Oh my God, did you have sex???” Natalie was barely catching her breath, she was just firing question after question at her best friend.  
  
“I don't know if he is interested. I didn't think so at first, but today I'm thinking he might be. I don't know, I don't wanna assume and get my hopes up. We didn't kiss or anything. Just talked and ate together. Maybe he wants to be just friends.” Jarah murmured, playing with the ends of her hair absently.  
  
“Maybe he wants to be just friends? Okay, let's check. When did you first have drinks with him?”  
  
“Monday.”  
  
“Did you see him again after that? After he was done working?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“When?”  
  
“Tuesday night. We had dinner together.”  
  
“Okay, and after that?”  
  
“Today. He took me to my doctor and then back home and I made him dinner and afterwards we watched my ultrasound video.”  
  
“He took you to your do- Okay... did you make plans to see each other again? Did he ask you for your number?”  
  
“Yeah, we are going to see each other on Sunday. He is a hunter and he is going to show me his crossbow, so he is going to take me out to the woods and show me how to shoot it and he gave me his number. I gave him mine so he could call me in case something came up.”  
  
Silence. Followed by even more silence. Followed by roaring laughter.  
  
It took a while for Nat to calm down. Only her best friend would be this dense. She was the prettiest and smartest girl on the planet, but when it came to men, she was just plain stupid.  
  
“Oh Jarah, you are killing me! Seriously! That's like four dates in seven days and you think he wants to be just friends? You are the best! And an idiot! Jarah, no man on earth would take you to your doctor just out of the goodness of his heart. No man would look at your freaking ultrasound for God's sakes. My mother could barely make my father look at the pictures when she was pregnant with me. Her own husband! Trust me, that guy is into you!” Natalie was still laughing and wiping tears from her eyes from laughing so hard.  
  
“I don't know, Nat. He doesn't give off the vibe.”  
  
“How the hell would you know? Your ex basically had to ask you to marry him before you picked up on “the vibe”. I love you sweetie, but you absolutely do not know guys or how to read them.”  
  
“Damn, you're right. I just don't know what to do. I don't wanna make a fool out of myself.”  
  
“I know. And since you are no good at this I'd say just let nature run its course and don't do anything to find out whether he is interested or not. You know what I always say. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. Damn, I can't wait to meet this guy though. I wanna know what he looks like. Can't you take a picture?”  
  
“No! I am not going up to him and snap a picture and send it to you! How would that look?”  
  
“Like you were taking it to print it out later and carry it around in your wallet? I'm kidding. Guess I'll just have to wait. Alright, I need to get back and you need to rest. Hey, I love you, you know that? I am really happy that you are putting yourself out there. Go out and have fun. It will be good for you. I'll let you know when Grandpa passes.”  
  
“Okay, thanks. Hug your family and give them all my best. Bye Nat.”  
  
They hung up and Jarah finally went to bed, but sleep wouldn't come, because her mind was racing. Was he interested? Was Natalie right? What if she was not? Jarah didn't want to get her hopes up and be disappointed later. Let nature take its course was easier said than done.  
  
######## ######## ####### ######## ##########  
  
“Mornin'!” Daryl sleepily trudged into the kitchen of the small apartment he currently shared with his brother.  
  
“Mornin' dummy! Where were you last night? Thought you were gonna come down to the bar” Merle was leaned against the fridge, eating, while Daryl fumbled around to find a clean mug and his smokes.  
  
“Plans changed. Had stuff to take care of!”  
  
“Yeah? Like what?” Merle wasn't letting it go, his brother was avoiding him and Merle wanted to know why.  
  
“Stuff... Things...” Daryl shrugged, finally finding his cigarettes and a lighter. He quickly lit one, before he filled coffee into his mug. He turned around to lean against the counter, finally facing Merle, and froze. “What are you eating?”  
  
“Found it on the counter. That's some good grub! Where'd you get it?”  
  
“Leftovers,... from the diner.” Daryl lied, hoping that Merle would buy it.  
  
“From the diner, you say? Which one? Ain't ever been to one with food this good! Also never been to one that sends their plates home with ya! Try again!”  
  
“Just shut up, Merle! Mind your own damn business! You're not my keeper!” Daryl yelled in his face and shoved past him.  
  
“Awwwwww, don't tell me ya finally got yourself a girl, little brother! And with no help from me? All by your shy little awkward self?”  
  
“Shut up, Merle!”  
  
“Tell me, what do you do with her? You can only fuck women drunk, so what do you do with this one? Hold hands and make googley eyes at each other while you share a sundae and play footsie under the table?”  
  
“Just shut up, man! Keep out of it!” Daryl went back to his room and slammed the door shut with his foot.  
  
That didn't faze Merle, though. “You know, you're gonna have to tell me sooner or later! I always find out anyway. You know I do!” he shouted through the apartment before he went back to eating.  
  
Daryl just groaned and banged his head against the headboard. It was going to be a long day. A day which he couldn't wait for to be over. He just wanted to get Jarah and hide out with her in the woods for a couple of hours.  
  
############ ########### ######## ########### ######


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
An hour after Merle had piped down, Daryl came back out of his room. He needed to take a piss and he needed distraction. A day in front of the TV would do just fine. Before he settled himself on the couch he went back to the kitchen to get something to eat, hoping Merle hadn't stuffed his face with all of what Jarah had given him.  
  
“Dickhead, couldn't have left a little slice for me? That plate wasn't for you, you know!” Daryl was more than a little miffed to find the plate sparkly clean on the counter. “Good Lord, did ya lick it clean?”  
  
“Yeah, it was good! Couldn't let it go to waste.” Merle was grinning like a fool. He always liked getting a rise out of his otherwise pretty quiet little brother. “Aw relax, I'm sure your girlfriend will make ya something else, next time you're there. Right? Just make sure to bring back enough for the both of us, dummy. That girl's got skills.”  
  
“Not my girlfriend!” Daryl muttered, reminding Merle a little of a petulant child.  
  
“Awww, how come? Not man enough to take what you want, boy? She likes ya! Wouldn't cook for ya if it was different! Now tell me! Who is she?” Merle was intrigued. His little brother had never “liked” someone like that. He sure as hell never went out to other people's places and had dinner with them. Daryl has never had a relationship. He never got close to people, he never let them. For a long time Merle had been afraid that Daryl might be into men and it was the reason, why he never showed any interest whatsoever for the other sex.  
  
But then one night, a couple of years back, a new waitress had started working at the Black Bear. She was a tiny little thing and a little too curvy for Merle's taste, but she had a great rack and even Daryl kept staring at her, while chewing on his thumb like a little pussy. That's when kind of a 'game plan' had developed. Merle had started chatting the girl up all the while getting his little brother drunk. By the end of the night all Daryl had to do was take the girl outside and fuck her in his truck or against the back of the building. Merle always waited inside the bar, never took more than 10 to 15 minutes for Daryl and the girl to show back up and they always left right away afterward.  
  
Sure it probably wasn't the best sex in to world, but at least his little brother wasn't a virgin anymore and was able to say that he'd fucked a couple girls by now. Even though it was Merle who had always set it up for him. So what was happening now, was completely out of character for the younger Dixon and Merle found himself wondering how this had happened and what exactly had happened and what exactly his little brother and the girl were doing, when they were together. He'd never seen his brother talk to a girl he liked, so she had to be kinda special or something.  
  
“Goddamn, just leave me be!” Daryl grunted while he fixed himself a peanut butter sandwich and went to plop himself down on the couch and watch TV.  
  
######## ######## ######## ####### ######## #######  
  
Later that night they went down to the Black Bear bar, their preferred hangout. Some familiar faces were already seated around their regular table and Daryl almost turned around and left when he spotted Cody, who had already lifted his hand in greeting. Daryl knew that shit would get real uncomfortable for him tonight.  
  
“Well, well, well, if it isn't Daryl Dixon! Hey stranger, finally able to tear yourself away from your girl for one night?” Cody didn't waste any time to spread the newest gossip.  
  
“Shut up!” Daryl knew it was futile, but he still kept trying to avoid this conversation.  
  
“But why? You should be proud. I heard you got the prettiest girl in the whole building!” Cody grinned. His best friend Joey, who worked with Daryl now had told him all about Jarah Mason and what he had witnessed the night before.  
  
“That right? My little brother? Aaahhh, I knew you had it in you, you dog! You're a Dixon after all!” Merle proudly slapped Daryl's back.  
  
Frank Carter, a tall and sturdy man in his late 50's and who was Cody's uncle, was also seated at the table and grinned knowingly at Daryl.  
  
“You taught him well, Merle. It's the best, isn't it, little D?”  
  
“What is?” Daryl looked at him quizzically.  
  
“Sex with a pregnant girl! They are all sensitive all over, they get all wild and go off like rockets. Man I remember when Marsha was pregnant with our little Lisa. She wanted to do it all the time. I wasn't able to keep up sometimes. And she got so fucking wet, it was like a goddamn slip'n'slide. All you had to do was touch her nipple with a finger and she was already bucking like a fucking bronco. You hit the jackpot, Dixon.”  
  
Daryl was blushing furiously and he shot a quick look over at Merle, before he looked down at his beer. He could already see Merle's wheels turning inside of his head and it didn't take long for him to connect the dots.  
  
“Holy fucking hell, boy!!! That chick we saw outside that building you work in? The one that had you fuck your mattress like a horn dog?” Merle couldn't believe it. Most of all he couldn't believe that he hadn't made that connection sooner.  
  
“What? You didn't tell your brother? Why not? You should be out parading the streets with her. From what I hear she's a real looker!” Cody laughed. He couldn't understand why Daryl was all awkward about shit like that.  
  
“She's a looker alright. A fucking pregnant looker! What are you doing, dummy? A quick fuck in her apartment I would get, but you been gone til late at night three times this week! Came back with food and everything. So you're really dating that broad? What the fuck? Wanna play daddy to her kid, too?”  
  
“C'mon Merle, back off! Let the boy be! He's over thirty, it's time for him to get his shit together, settle down with a girl, start a family and all that shit. It's good for him, builds character!” Frank came to Daryl's aid.  
  
“But with one that already has a bun in the oven from another guy? It won't be blood!”  
  
“So? He can still make it a Dixon! Relax Merle, your brother can't help who he likes and neither can you. It just happens. You had a real hard-on for that Marianne for years and none of us understood why. It's just how the world works, so leave your brother alone.” Frank tried to ease the tension. Daryl looked so uncomfortable it was painful to watch. The boy was practically trying to shrink and melt himself into that chair.  
  
“Is that even allowed?” Cody piped up.  
  
“Is what even allowed?” His uncle looked at him confused.  
  
“To bang your wife when she's pregnant? Aren't you hitting the baby's head with your dick or something?”  
  
Frank roared with laughter. “Fuck you're an idiot. Don't you know nothing? It's not like there's a hole in there the baby peeks out of or something. Nah, when everything's going fine with the pregnancy you can fuck the living daylights out of her right up until it's time to go to the hospital. Actually happened when Lisa was born. We fucked twice that day. After the second time her water broke and we went to the hospital. Only thing the doctor said I wasn't supposed to do was stick my tongue in her! Had something to do with accidentally blowing air in there or something. Could be dangerous. Told me to just focus on the outside parts.”  
  
Daryl blushed even more, he hung his head so low, his chin was almost touching the table. He had listened intently though. He had wondered about the same thing Cody had, but he didn't have a computer or internet or anything so he hadn't been able to look it up. Sure he had fantasized about fucking Jarah and it had been great, but he hadn't been sure if it was possible in real life to still do it at her stage. At least now he knew.  
  
Merle shoved Frank with a scowl on his face. “What the hell are you telling him that for? My brother doesn't need to hear that! Dixons don't eat pussy!”  
  
“Oh, so you're a moron, then?! What else is new? Don't listen to him, little D! The fact is, only pussies DON'T eat pussy! Your brother thinks he knows it all, because he put up with that Marianne girl for a year. But he doesn't know shit.”  
  
“You know what Frank? If it was anybody else talking that shit about me, they'd be bleeding all over the place by now, crying for their momma!” Merle grumbled before taking a gulp from his beer bottle.  
  
“Yeah, I know. You won't touch me, though, because you know damn straight that I am one of the few people who could whip your ass!” Frank smirked.  
  
“Not arguing with you on that one, old man! But still, I don't think you're right! You go down on a broad, she owns ya! Can't let that happen!” Merle started the whole thing up again.  
  
“See that's where you are wrong, Dixon! It's the opposite! You eat her out, make her cum so hard she cries, get her addicted to your mouth, that's when you own her! Just like she owns you every single time she sucks you off. See? You did it completely wrong all your life. If you wanted to keep Marianne from owning your ass, you shouldn't have let her suck your dick. You don't know anything. And that's your treasured knowledge you wanna pass on to your brother? Leave him alone, let him do what he wants to! He's still got a chance to do it right.”  
  
Daryl got up and went over to the bar. He didn't want to listen to anymore. He was used to the guys talking about him like he wasn't even there. Usually it didn't bother him too much, but this whole talk just brought up too many insecurities and his mind was racing. He needed to get Merle drunk so he would shut up and then he needed to get some air. He got a bottle of Jägermeister for their table and drank one himself with the guys before he grabbed his smokes and got back up.  
  
“I'm going out for a smoke.” he announced and walked away from the table, but he still heard his brothers 'and to call your girlfriend'. He rolled his eyes and went outside, taking a deep breath of fresh air. He was on his second smoke when Frank Carter came walking out and stopped next to Daryl.  
  
“Your brother is a piece of work!”  
  
“Yeah he is.” Daryl looked down at the ground, not meeting the older man's gaze, and absently drew lines in the dirt with his foot.  
  
“So,... you really like this girl?” Frank liked Daryl. He knew that he was a good man, he was just living in his brothers shadow and kind of got steamrolled by Merle every single time they were together. Frank knew that deep down Merle was a good guy, too. He'd seen it when Merle was with Marianne. He had really cared for her and she had hurt him. Both the boys had a shitty life, they just needed a hug and someone who cared about them and Daryl had a chance at that right now. He would do his best to not let Merle ruin it for him.  
  
Daryl didn't answer, he just looked up at Frank for a second and nodded while a light blush crept up his cheeks.  
  
“But you're not with her? She ain't your girlfriend?”  
  
Daryl shook his head no.  
  
“But she's interested?”  
  
Daryl shrugged and at last used his voice. “Don't know. Maybe.”  
  
“How'd you meet. C'mon tell me. You know I won't go blab to your brother about her!”  
  
Daryl looked at Frank for a moment, while he chewed on his bottom lip and then in as little words as possible, he told her what had happened so far. Frank smiled and slapped his hand down on Daryl's shoulder.  
  
“Sounds like she likes ya, boy! This could work out for you, just don't let your brother tell you what to do. He talks a big game, but in the end he is just too scared to care for someone and then getting dumped again. Unfortunately it's part of the game. Don't let that bother you. We gotta take risks to get something good out of life. Look at me and Marsha. I made a damn fool outta myself to get that girl to fall in love with me. Now we've been married almost 25 years and I don't regret a single thing I had to do to make her mine. Just do what YOU think is best and not what your brother thinks its best. Got it?” Frank tried to catch Daryl's gaze, but the younger man was good at avoiding eye contact.  
  
“Yeah, okay.” Daryl nodded and stepped on his smoke to put it out.  
  
“Great, now come on in and watch me drink your lame-ass brother under the table!”  
  
####### ######## ###### ####### ###### ###### ######  
  
By 8 am the next morning Daryl was already showered, dressed and having his second coffee. He was leaning against the counter, nervously tapping his fingers on it while he stared at his phone, willing it to ring. He wanted to be out of there before Merle got up. They'd stayed at the bar until 2 am and Daryl figured Merle would at least sleep til 10 am before he went to take a piss, so Daryl was still in the safe zone.  
  
The phone started vibrating at 9.23 am and Daryl turned into a clumsy mess when he read Jarah's name on the screen. He almost dropped his smoke as his heart started hammering in his chest and he felt like he couldn't breathe. He quickly dropped the cigarette in the sink and grabbed the phone with shaky hands, almost dropping that, too, before he finally pressed the right button on his third try.  
  
“Hello?” Damn, his voice was all weird because he hadn't used it yet this morning.  
  
“Hi, it's Jarah. Just wanted to say that I am ready to go.” Goddamn butterflies were creating a tornado in his stomach when he heard her voice. He felt like he had to throw up, but in a surprisingly positive way.  
  
“Okay, I'll be there in 30.” And then he just hung up, instantly cursing himself. He was such a dumbass. He thought about calling her back and apologize for hanging up, but didn't have the balls to go through with it. He stuffed the phone into the pocket of his jeans, but on his favorite brown leather boots and grabbed his crossbow and bolts and left as fast as he could before Merle decided to get up and ask where he was going.  
  
####### ####### ####### ####### ####### #######  
  
Jarah was already waiting outside when Daryl pulled up to the building. She looked amazing as usual. She wore another black and white striped sweater, but this time it wasn't oversized at all, it was tight and accentuated her pregnancy curves just right and her tight jeans nicely showed off her ass. Daryl knew that no matter what, this day was already great, because he would be able to look at her all day long.  
  
“Hey, good morning! How are you?” She smiled as him after she had climbed into the passenger seat and put on her seat belt.  
  
“Good! You?”  
  
“Great, thanks! I know we are stopping for breakfast, but I made us a little something for later, I also brought a blanket, because I didn't know if you had one in the car. I hope that's okay.”  
  
Picnic in the woods? Hell yeah that was okay. Daryl was downright giddy on the inside.  
  
“Yeah, it's cool.” he shrugged nonchalantly.  
  
“Alright. How was your day? Yesterday, I mean.”  
  
“It was alright. Didn't do much, but watch TV. My brother ate your food.” he tried his best to make conversation, but he was so nervous. He hoped it would get better as soon as they were in the woods. There he was in his element and hoped to feel more secure.  
  
“Really? I'm sorry! Next time I'll make enough for you AND your brother!”  
  
Next time? Daryl liked the sound of that. Maybe Frank was right and she really was interested. She wanted to make him dinner again AND she liked his shoulders. That had to be a good sign.  
  
“I didn't know your brother lived with you.” Jarah's voice pulled him out of his own head.  
  
“Yeah, he did a stint in jail for drugs and had trouble getting a job and a place to live when he got out. So he stays with me. Also helps keeping him sober.”  
  
“That's good. You're a good brother to be doing that for him!”  
  
“You got any siblings?” he quickly shifted the conversation to her, not wanting to tell her about Merle or the rest of his fucked up family right now.  
  
“No, it's just me. I was an accident.”  
  
“Don't they call it 'happy accident'?”  
  
“I guess when they want the child to feel loved they do. Wasn't the case with my family.”  
  
“That's fucked up.” Daryl scoffed, knowing exactly what she had felt like.  
  
“If only you could have seen how fucked up my life used to be...” Jarah quoted the first line from one of her favorite songs.  
  
Daryl didn't respond, but when they were sitting in a booth inside the diner he had chosen for breakfast, he decided to ask about it.  
  
“Wanna talk about it? Your fucked up life, I mean?”  
  
“Only if you wanna know about it!” Jarah laughed a little. Daryl sure had a way with words, but she didn't mind, she wasn't that good either and she kind of thought he was endearing.  
  
Daryl nodded and Jarah sighed.  
  
“Okay let's see, what is there to know. I am not going into too much detail, otherwise we would still sit here tomorrow morning. Parents didn't want me, psychotic and abusive mother who was a pathological liar, both very strict, there is no way to make those two happy and believe me I've tried. At age 18 my mother tried to strangle me during one of her rage fits, I tried to defend myself and pushed her down the stairs by accident. Got kicked out of the house and moved here to Atlanta. Haven't seen or talked to my mother since. I had a nervous breakdown at age 22 after constantly getting harrassed and bullied by my ex-boss, checked myself into rehab for six weeks, started a new life, unfortunately reconnected with my dad after he divorced my mother and married his girlfriend, got a new job in the nursing home, met my best friend, started doing so much better, finally happier, met my soon-to-be ex-husband 2 years ago, got pregnant, left him and now I'm here, 29 years old and happier than ever! Did I mention that I usually do NOT talk a lot, but somehow you are doing something to me that changes that? Sorry!”  
  
Daryl had to laugh a little. He didn't think he ever would enjoy listening to a woman ramble on and on about her life, but with Jarah, he did. If it was up to him, he would let her go on forever and ever.  
  
“That's okay... I like it!” he admitted with a shy smile. Jarah beamed and quickly looked down, when he looked at her, she didn't want him to see that he had made her blush. He saw anyway and just loved it. At least he wasn't the only awkward one. The waitress took their orders and when she left he cleared his throat. “How was your day yesterday?”  
  
“Okay. Grandpa Herb passed away yesterday around noon, so I went out and got a card to send to Betty.”  
  
“I'm sorry.”  
  
“Nah, don't be. He was in an awful amount of pain, so it's better this way. I am glad he doesn't have to suffer anymore. He was an incredibly sweet man. We watched ALF together once and he loved him even more than I do. He actually cried when ALF first showed up on screen. And because he cried, I cried, but also laughed my ass off, because we were being ridiculous. He was awesome.”  
  
“Really? He cried?”  
  
“Yeah, he was a little close to the water, but hey, it takes a real man to cry. He stood by it and that was cool. What about your family? They live around here?”  
  
There it was, the dreaded question, but what the hell. She hadn't gone into too much detail, so he wouldn't have to either.  
  
“No, not really. It's only me, Merle and our old man that's left from our family. Our mother died in a fire when I was 8 and our father lives in Dalton as far as I know. I hightailed it out of there as soon as I got my first job here in Atlanta. Merle had left years before that. Our folks weren't the nicest people either.”  
  
“So he's your older brother?”  
  
“Yeah, by 8 years.”  
  
Jarah nodded. He could see that she wanted to ask him something, but she hesitated. He guessed that she wanted to know how old he was, but wasn't sure if it was okay to ask.  
  
“I'm 36 now,... 37 soon.”  
  
“I had a hard time guessing. You've got really young looking skin, even though you smoke, so I thought you might be like 31 or 32.”  
  
“You don't look your age neither. Thought you were barely legal, like 22 or so.”  
  
“Yeah, I get that a lot. I still have to show my ID every single time I buy a bottle of booze. I hate it, I really do.”  
  
Their food arrived shortly after and they ate in companionable silence. Daryl started to get a little more relaxed, he felt good around her. When she had finished eating and took a trip to the bathroom he quickly paid and led her out to the truck. He was itching to get out into the woods.  
  
######## ###### ######## ###### ####### ######## ######## ######  
  
“Wow, this thing is heavier than I thought it would be! Explains why you are in such great shape!” Jarah smiled and looked through the scope to aim. Daryl had explained how it worked and showed her how deadly accurate his aim was. Now it was her turn to aim and put a bolt into a tree about 30 feet away.  
  
Daryl was leaning against a tree next to her and explained what she should do.  
  
“Just even out your breathing and try to keep your hands steady. Focus on a point on the tree you wanna hit.”  
  
Jarah listened and tried to do what he told her, but her hands were a little shaky and she just brushed the trunk of the tree.  
  
“Damn, it looks easier than it is!” Daryl went and got it and put it back in the crossbow before handing it back to her.  
  
“Just try again, you'll get it. It takes practice.” He leaned back against the tree, when he detected movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked slightly behind him and froze. What the hell was Merle doing here and how on earth did he get here so fast? He was supposed to me hungover.  
  
Merle was hiding behind the truck and as soon as Daryl had spotted him, he started waving his hands around, but Daryl was too confused to understand.  
  
Merle had woken up when Daryl left. The walls were thin drunk or not Merle was a light sleeper. He thought they were still on for squirrel hunting and Daryl had decided to go ahead and wait for him in the woods. It had happened before, so Merle had taken a shower, got dressed and got a ride from his buddy John, as he didn't feel well enough to ride his bike.  
  
Merle was in for a surprise when he went to look for his brother and found him with a girl. THE girl, teaching her how to shoot his crossbow. Merle had watched with interest and studied the both of them. The way his brother looked at her, he was clearly smitten and the girl looked at Daryl the same way when he wasn't looking. Daryl was being a dummy though. Passing up major chances to be closer to the girl. Instead of standing behind her, helping her holding the crossbow and correcting her posture, the idiot was just leaning against a tree, hands in his pocket, chewing his lip while he looked at her like a shy puppy.  
  
As soon as he saw Daryl looking over at him, Merle motioned for him to move closer to the girl and to reach around her to hold the crossbow with her, but Daryl was just staring at him with a blank expression.  
  
“Goddamnit, you idiot, what would you even do without me?” Merle had seen enough. Daryl wasn't making a move, so he would once again have to be the older brother and help him out. He came out from behind the truck and walked towards them, watching Daryl's eyes widen and shaking his head. Daryl knew he was fucked now, Merle would ruin everything. But what he didn't know was, that Frank hadn't just talked to him last night, he had talked to Merle also and had threatened him not to fuck this whole thing with Jarah up for his little brother.  
  
So Merle just kept walking and waved him off and grinned.  
  
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?”  
  
Jarah turned around and handed the crossbow over to Daryl, looking quizzically at Merle.  
  
“That's my brother! What are you doing here Merle?” Daryl started getting fidgety and chewed on his thumb.  
  
“I thought we were going squirrel hunting today, but I see you got other plans. And who would this young lady be?”  
  
“I'm Jarah,... I'm sorry I didn't know your plans were still on! Otherwise I never would ha-” she started to apologize, but Merle cut her off.  
  
“Don't be, my brother just forgot to cancel, it happens. He forgets things. For example that you shouldn't be holding this crossbow all on your own, Shorty! Wouldn't wanna hurt the kid! How far along are you? Like four months?”  
  
“Six actually, going on seven!” Jarah smiled.  
  
“Awww nonsense, you're way too tiny to be that far along. Boy or girl? Did you find out?” Daryl stared at his brother, his mouth agape. This was not at all what he had expected. He knew that Merle was able to really turn on the charm when he wanted to, but he didn't think he would do it for Jarah.  
  
“It's a boy, which is really cool. I really wanted a boy!”  
  
“Nice! What are you doing standing over there, baby brother? Get in here and show her how it works, take some weight off of her, would you? Have I taught you nothing?” Merle motioned Daryl over to stand behind Jarah and mouthed “DO SOMETHING!”  
  
Daryl shot him a dirty glare and mouthed “LEAVE!”  
  
Merle grinned and slapped Daryl on the back. “Well, I'm outta here, let you two get back to it. I'm sure I'll see ya around, Shorty!”  
  
“Bye Merle!” Jarah smiled and gave him a little wave.  
  
“Yeah, bye Merle!” Daryl growled towards Merle's retreating back, making the older brother snicker.  
  
“He seems nice!”  
  
“Only if he wants to be! He was right though, you shouldn't hold it up by yourself the whole time. Sorry, I didn't think” he apologized, feeling stupid that his being too shy too touch her made them potentially risk the baby.  
  
“It's okay, it's not THAT heavy, but... it would be nice, if you could help hold it. My hands are a little shaky!” she admitted with a little smile. Daryl lost himself for a little second in that smile before he nodded and quickly stepped up behind her, his chest touching her back. He reached around her and helped her hold up the crossbow, trying to keep most of his weight into his own hands.  
  
His hands were steady, but his knees almost buckled. He could feel her warmth radiating from her body, her soft hair was blown in his face by the warm summer breeze and she smelt so goddamn good. Like cherry pie. Good enough to eat.  
  
“Alright,... watch your breathing. Feet a little wider apart,... yeah that's great...”  
  
He was rasping in her ear. She could feel his warm breath on her ear. Jarah had a hard time focusing. That voice was doing unspeakable things to her. Her libido had returned full force the other day and she already spent her days being horny and frustrated when she was all by herself. Being around Daryl, manly, hot, muscle-y, sex on legs Daryl, who was talking directly into her ear with that amazing voice of his, wasn't helping matters at all and she hoped she wouldn't have a visible wet spot on the crotch of her jeans. The fact that all this hotness housed this shy, sweet, awkward, adorably cute person, only made her desire for him spike even more. Not to mention his arms, if she turned her head she would be able to kiss one of them. It was beyond tempting.  
  
“Now focus... and when you're ready just pull the trigger!”  
  
Focus, ha right! Jarah took another deep breath. She didn't want to fail, but she didn't want to lose contact either. She took one more breath, not just pulling fresh air into her lungs, but also letting Daryl's unique smell of cigarettes, leather and air fill her nostrils. Then she pulled the trigger and the bolt whizzed through the air, embedding itself into the tree a second later.  
  
“Wohoo, nailed it! Well, it wasn't the spot I wanted to hit, but it still hit the tree!” she turned around beaming at Daryl who smiled in return.  
  
“It was good. You'll get better and better, I promise. Wanna take a break, drink something?”  
  
“Yeah that would be nice. Can we practice some more after?”  
  
“Yeah sure, we got the whole day!” he smiled and went to the truck to get the blanket and the backpack she brought.  
  
He hated admitting it, but he would have to thank Merle later one way or another.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
“Want some more water?” Daryl asked as he opened the plastic bottle to pour some more into his own plastic cup.  
  
“Yes, please!” Jarah held her cup out to him and smiled. “I get the distinct feeling that my son likes your voice!”  
  
“Yeah? He kicking when I talk?” Daryl looked down at her belly for a second while he filled her cup with more water.  
  
“Yeah, he gets real active when you're around. Maybe he gets my deep voice fetish.”  
  
Daryl screwed the cap back on the bottle and looked at her questioningly.  
  
“What's a deep voice fetish?”  
  
“Well, uhm I like, and I mean I REALLY LIKE, when men have really deep voices. Especially when there is a little edge to it. Like when it's a little raspy, kinda like yours, that's an added bonus.”  
  
“And that's a fetish?”  
  
“To me it is!” Jarah shrugged and took a sip of her water only to choke on it a second later.  
  
“I thought fetishes had something to do with fucking?”  
  
“Yeah, they kinda have...” Jarah blushed. Apparently Daryl hadn't gotten the meaning of her words before, but now she could see the realization in his eyes.  
  
“Oh so you... when you hear a deep voice?”  
  
“It does things to me... But let's just not go into more detail here. I think I embarrassed myself enough.” Jarah laughed, her cheeks were burning up she was blushing so hard.  
  
Daryl chewed on his bottom lip and studied her for a moment while he pondered whether or not it would be okay to tease her a bit. He liked when she got all flustered and blushed, but he didn't want her to think that he was making fun of her.  
  
“So my voice does things to you?” He decided to just go for it and now held his breath, waiting for her reaction.  
  
“No comment, mister!” She was grinning and Daryl was relieved. Teasing was okay, he would keep that in mind. “Do you wanna feel him kick? He is playing Rocky in there right now!”  
  
Daryl nodded, so Jarah motioned for him to come closer and once he was directly next to her she took his hand into her much smaller one and placed it on her belly, to the right of her belly button before she leaned back on her hands.  
  
“Try rubbing it back and forth a little, he usually responds!” Jarah smiled at him, consciously neglecting to mention that she would enjoy him rubbing her belly very much as well. She looked down and watched him carefully move his hand around a little. Not just his voice was doing things to her, the sight of his strong, tanned hand on her body were doing things to her as well. Damn she was horny, all she wanted was for this man to take her and make her his over and over and over and over again.  
  
Daryl didn't fare much better on the inside. He was only touching her belly and already he was addicted to seeing his hand on her body and he wanted much more. He felt awkward at first putting his hand on her, but when he felt her relax it made him relax as well and now he was able to fully enjoy what he was doing. He completely forgot why he was doing it in the first place and jumped a little when he suddenly felt a strong thumb against the palm of his hand.  
  
“Damn! He's strong! Does that hurt?” Daryl didn't think he would feel the baby's kicking this much, but it felt like he was trying to push through her skin.  
  
“Sometimes, a little. Especially when he kicks my belly button from the inside. The bigger he gets the more uncomfortable it's going to be, I guess.”  
  
“Makes sense. Don't hurt your momma too much, ya hear me? She'll remember and as soon as your out here she can spank your ass!” Daryl spoke to her belly, making Jarah laugh.  
  
“I never would, though! Nah, I won't ever hit him no matter how mad he is going to make me sometimes. It never helped my mother getting her point across, just made me scared of her and hate her.”  
  
Daryl looked up at her, she had a faraway look in her eyes and he knew she was lost in memories right now. He knew how she felt. His parents had hit on him and Merle as well. He wondered if she had scars like he had. He couldn't imagine something so ugly marring her beautiful skin. No child deserved that kind of treatment.  
  
Jarah had put her hand on the other side of her belly and Daryl carefully and slowly slid his own hand over to hers and brushed her fingers with his thumb.  
  
“Hey, don't go back there. Just makes ya sad. It's done.”  
  
“You went through it, too. Right?”  
  
“Yeah, mine were both alcoholics. Gave us a good whipping at least once a week.” Daryl admitted while he watched his thumb rub over her knuckles.  
  
“Do you think people like us make better parents? Because we know how not to do it? Or do you think that history will just repeat itself? That's there just no other way for us than to be like them?” Jarah had tears in her eyes. It was something she was deeply worried about. She already loved her child more than anything and the thought that she would end up hurting him was killing her.  
  
“I think we'll be better. You went through it, you know what it's like. I don't think there's a chance in hell that you'll let it happen to him. You'd kill yourself first. It's what I would do. I'd slit my own throat before I'd hurt a child.”  
  
They looked at each other, Jarah turned her hand and linked it with his, giving it a gentle squeeze.  
  
“Thank you, Daryl!”  
  
“What for?” He had a hard time focusing, holy fucking mother of Pearl, they were holding hands.  
  
“For believing that I'm going to do better than them. It feels good to hear that. I'm good at doubting myself, to get someone else's opinion helps.”  
  
They sat in silence for a while, but it was comfortable. They were both relaxed, being in the woods gave Daryl a little more confidence, here he was in his element and he was also growing more accustomed to being around Jarah. Talking to her and now touching her didn't make him feel as awkward anymore as it did at the beginning of the week.  
  
After a couple of minutes he felt her squirm and look around nervously.  
  
“Hey, what's wrong?” he asked as he looked around as well, trying to figure out what was going on, if maybe she had heard something.  
  
“Nothing, I just gotta pee! I kinda forgot that there were no toilets around here.” she chewed on her lip nervously and blushed a little.  
  
“Oh right. No problem. Come on, I'll show you a good spot!” Daryl let go of her and and stood before helping her up. He walked her to a spot between a couple of trees, a good hundred feet away from where they had spread the blanket.  
  
“I'm gonna wait over there! Holler if you need help or anything!”  
  
Daryl turned his back on her and walked away a couple of feet to lean against a tree. Jarah hoped she wouldn't have to holler for help. That would be embarrassing. She fumbled around and it took some effort not to fall on her ass and not to get anything on her pants, but in the end she was able to do it. She pulled her pants back up, immediately regretting not having toilet paper available. She felt very uncomfortable and had the strong urge to freshen up.  
  
“Damn, I hate to say it, but I guess we should get back. Peeing in the woods at 25 weeks pregnant is just no fun at all and it's probably not going to be very long until I have to go again.” she told Daryl apologetically as she reached the tree he was leaning against.  
  
“Yeah I figured. Should have thought of that!” Daryl felt stupid for not thinking of that, but Jarah waved him off.  
  
“Even I forgot and I am the pregnant person! It's a shame though, it's so beautiful out here. But if you'd like we could hang out at my place... If you don't it's cool, you work there every day, you probably don't want to be around that house more than you have to.”  
  
“No that's okay, we can do that. Sitting on the ground for a couple more hours wouldn't be good for you either, I reckon.” Daryl was a little disappointed that they would have to leave the woods, but of course he understood that the woods weren't the best spot to hang out for someone that far along in their pregnancy.  
  
They went back to the blanket and packed their stuff. Daryl put everything in the truck and then helped her in and shut the door for her. As they drove back Daryl turned on the radio and Dusty Springfield's “Son of a Preacher Man” echoed through the car.  
  
Jarah smiled while she listened, she loved music and she liked this song. If Daryl only knew how much she was wishing that he would be stealing kisses from her on the sly right now. He'd probably bolt from the truck faster than she could blink. But then again, maybe not.  
  
“What music do you like to listen to?” she asked, looking over at him when the song was over.  
  
“Uumm, stuff like this. Classic rock, country, some of the stuff you like.”  
  
“Stuff I like? How do you know what I like?” She was curious how he would know what she was into. The people she had talked to music about had always guessed wrong.  
  
“Saw your CD's at your place.”  
  
“Right, could have guessed that. So you probably also know what I like to watch and what I like to read as well, huh?” she smirked, liking the little blush that was creeping into his cheeks at admitting that he had looked at her things.  
  
“That bad?” He asked, nervously taking his eyes off the road for two seconds to look at her and gauge her reaction. He was relieved to find her smiling.  
  
“No not at all, but I think you can guess what you will have to tell me now, right? It's only fair! You know much more about me than I know about you. So tell me, what kinda shows do you watch?”  
  
“Not that much, when I was out of work for a while I kinda got into those shows where they go through all the stuff people keep in their garages and get money for it.” Daryl didn't watch much TV. When he had a job he spent all day at work and at night he'd grab dinner and then go hang out at the bar and go straight to bed afterward and the weekends he'd spent in the woods.  
  
“Ah yeah, I heard about that, but I never watch it. If I turn on the TV, it's to escape. I need stuff that pulls me in and makes me forget where I am, you know? Maybe I should introduce you to a couple of good ones.”  
  
Daryl felt a little rush and he couldn't keep himself from smiling a little. Sounded like she wanted to keep him around for a while. Even though he wasn't that interested in TV shows, hang out on her couch and watch with her, or rather watch HER, yeah, he could definitely do that.  
  
“Couldn't hurt, I reckon. As long as it's not too much girly shit!” he smirked and Jarah laughed.  
  
“Okay, no Desperate Housewives then. Don't worry I am not really into too much girly stuff. I hate cheesy love stories. HATED Sex and the City. Natalie made me watch, she loved it. I like things like Dexter. That show is amazing. I'm gonna cry so hard when that one ends.”  
  
“I think I saw that one. It's that vigilante guy right? The one who is a cop, but kills the ones that get away?”  
  
“Yeah, in a nutshell. He's a blood spatter analyst with an urge to kill. Did you like it?”  
  
“It was good, that guy was intense.”  
  
“He is. Great actor. He was in another show I liked. Six Feet Under, I really didn't think he would be that amazing as Dexter. Great, if all fails we can watch that one!” She smiled and Daryl loved how excited she got. She was almost bouncing in her seat with joy. “Uh and I'm going to introduce you to Supernatural. Two brothers hunt down supernatural creatures in a really cool car! Maybe some True Blood. The gory stuff might appeal to the hunter in you. I should probably mention that ever since childhood I've been obsessed with vampires. Can't explain it, though. It's just something that has always been part of my life. I like the dark side of things. Shit and now I am talking about myself again. This was supposed to be about you. You have to stop me when I start doing that.” Jarah apologized. Daryl had a really weird effect on her. He made her want to share everything about her.  
  
“Already told you, I like listening!”  
  
“So do I, but you are hexing me or something! Why doesn't it work the other way around? Why can't I make you spill the beans? That's just unfair! Do I have to get you drunk? If that's the case I got a bottle of Southern Comfort with your name on it.”  
  
“Might be the way to go. I can't get drunk, though! I got to get home and to work in the morning!”  
  
“Wouldn't be a problem. My couch can be pulled out to be a bed and all you'll have to do to get to work in the morning, is leave my apartment and boom you're there!” She grinned, happily crushing his arguments.  
  
Daryl groaned. “Hell woman, don't tell me that! I'll never leave again!” Even before he had finished the sentence he realized that he had actually said it out loud instead of thinking it and his eyes widened as he looked over at Jarah nervously. But he had nothing to worry about as Jarah thought that he was just playing along. She wasn't THAT serious about it either. Sure she would love to have him stay, but if there was anything her time with Jackson had taught her, it was that there was no sense in rushing into things. She was sure that if she had given herself a couple of more days to get to know him better instead of sleeping with him on their first date, she never would have married him. She wouldn't make that mistake again.  
  
“So next questions. What kind of movies are you into?” She quickly changed the topic before the playfulness got too far and she would let herself convince him to stay the night.  
  
“Not big on movies either! Growing up I liked Rocky and Rambo and stuff like that, but these days? Nah, not the movie going type.”  
  
“Me neither! I like watching movies at home, where I don't have to pay for overpriced tickets and popcorn just to watch the back of a tall guy's head or teenagers make out for two hours.”  
  
Daryl laughed at that. “Jealous?”  
  
“Maybe a little bit!” she answered with a smile on her lips.  
  
####### ######## ####### ######## ####### #######  
  
They arrived back at her building a couple of minutes later and Jarah immediately excused herself and headed to the bathroom to relieve herself and to freshen up. After a quick trip to the bedroom to change into some clean panties and a pair of comfy black yoga pants, she wandered back into the living room where Daryl very quickly put one of her books back on the shelf and gave her an embarrassed look.  
  
“Sorry...”  
  
“That's okay! What can I get you to drink? Jack and Coke again?”  
  
“For starters, yeah. Thanks.”  
  
“Alright, are you okay with steak and baked potatoes for dinner? If you want anything else we'll have to order in or go to a store.”  
  
“Nah that's perfect.” Way better than a burger and onion rings from the fast food joint. He and Merle had that every other night. It wasn't necessarily that they didn't know how to cook, they knew a couple of basics, they just didn't feel like doing it and then clean all the dishes after.  
  
Jarah left to get their drinks and this time Daryl remained with his ass firmly planted on the couch instead of browsing her books again. Or that one book in particular. He hoped she hadn't noticed which one he had read. He'd been too curious about her sex guide not to pick it up this time.  
  
He had landed straight at the headline “THE TOP FIVE THINGS SHE'S HOPING YOU'LL DO THE FIRST TIME YOU HAVE SEX”. And of course the first thing on that list had been “Give great oral sex”. Merle would tear this book to shreds and then burn it so it wouldn't give girls the wrong ideas. The whole giving oral thing was making Daryl nervous. Especially since the book said that pretty much every woman expects it. It wasn't that he was opposed to doing it, he was curious about it, to be honest, it was just that he had never done it. He'd seen movies, he'd read books when he was really young and still didn't know what all the things meant he had read about, he had an idea of how it worked and what to do, but still, the thought of maybe doing it to Jarah one day and not being able to make her cum that way was making him real nervous.  
  
“Here you go, Jack and Coke on ice.” She handed him his drink and sat down next to him with her juice. “Thank you again for taking me out there today. I am so sorry we had to cut it short.”  
  
“Don't worry about it. It's better for you and the kid this way. You got a name for him yet?”  
  
“Yeah, James. My ex wants him to have his middle name.”  
  
“Which is?”  
  
“Dean.”  
“Aw hell no, c'mon! Don't do that to the kid!”  
  
“I know, I'm still thinking about it. He's being a prick right now, trying to stall the divorce, so I don't know. Do you have a middle name?”  
  
“Yeah, but don't name him that either. It's my old man's name. William.” Daryl spat the name like it was a curse.  
  
“I don't think he needs a middle name. I'm just torn sometimes. My ex didn't do anything wrong, you know. Well maybe one thing, but still. I was the one who left out of the blue. I am the one who practically took this kid away from him before he even met him. He should be a part of his son's life and my son should have Jackson's middle name, but... I just can't stand having him around and having him part of our life, you know? I shouldn't even tell you this. I want you to like me and the whole thing just shows that I am not that nice of a person.”  
  
Daryl was tempted to ask her why exactly she wanted him to like her, but he knew this was not the time for more teasing.  
  
“What did he do wrong?” Daryl wanted to understand what had made her leave him. She was right, to the average person what she was doing to her ex did not sound very nice, but from what he knew about her so far, she didn't seem to be the bitchy and vicious type. He knew she was doing this for a reason.  
  
“I can't tell you that. It is as personal as it gets, Daryl.”  
  
He didn't know why, but that made alarm bells go off in his head and anger started to build inside of him as various images of what could have happened floated through his mind.  
  
“He hit you?” Daryl's speech had turned into a deep growl, his fists clenching as he steeled himself for the answer.  
  
“No he didn't, please Daryl. I think it's too early for me to tell you the whole story.”  
  
“So worse?” he kept pressing, at least now he could be sure that she had a good reason for divorcing the bastard.  
  
“Daryl please, if you are really interested I will tell you the whole story, but not today. It goes back a lot further than just Jackson and I don't want you to hear it, yet. We are just getting to know each other. I don't want it to be one of the first things you know about me.”  
  
“Fine, it's your call. Can't force ya!” Daryl gulped down his whole drink at once, needing something to calm his nerves.  
  
“I can tell you something else though, about how this whole separation thing started, if you wanna know.”  
  
“Would be good. I'd like to keep liking ya!” He smirked a little, making her blush.  
  
She looked down at her belly when her cheeks started to heat up and gave a little embarrassed laugh. She was happy though, now she knew that he liked her. At least to some extent and she felt more secure in trying to pursue this and make him stick around. That was why she wanted him to understand why she had left Jackson.  
  
“Alright,... this thing with me and Jackson was just wrong from the start. I had never been with another man, he was my first boyfriend. He was pretty much my first everything. I had absolutely no idea about men. I still don't. Jackson is a nice guy. He has his flaws, like everybody else, but he is very good at covering them up. He makes you wonder if they are even there or if you were just imagining things. Nat had warned me from the start, but I just brushed her off, I was blinded by him and his interest in me. So I did the mistake of letting him sleep with me on the first date.”  
  
“He force ya to?”  
  
“No, not really. I didn't want it, but I was too scared to say no. I didn't want to lose him right away. The next part is embarrassing, but I guess it is kind of what happened. You know, a lot of women have this thing... they fall in love with the person who gives them an orgasm? They are not really in love, but all those hormones and chemicals inside our bodies just kind of suggest that they are. And I fell into that trap. That is my very firm believe. I let myself believe that I loved him from that moment on. Nat knew. She told me a million times that what I felt wasn't love. But again and again and again, I brushed her off. I was so stupid. I hated sharing a bed with him. I was happy when he left for a conference. Didn't miss him at all, never. I was happier when he was gone, than when he was with me. I knew all that and still I didn't realize that Nat was right. Then, that incident happened. I told Nat and she begged me to leave him, she was scared that it would happen again. Something happened after that. Something changed in us both, I guess. He was still nice and sweet most of the time, but there was something else underneath. He got very controlling, wouldn't let me leave, but he would do it in a way to make me think that I was the bad person. I wanted to spend a weekend at Nat's. Just to get out of the house and have fun with her and he was literally on his knees begging me not to go. He didn't want to spend the weekend without me, he needed me to cook for him, what was he supposed to do without me, etc. It was weird. So I stayed and he was normal again. This went on and on and I let it, until the day I took the pregnancy test. Like I said in that moment it hit me like a freight train. It was a real eye-opener, I think it was because I instantly loved my baby so much that I knew what I felt for Jackson really wasn't love for a husband at all. More like love for a good friend. Well that didn't last long, it quickly turned into hate after that and the rest you already know.”  
  
“You still think he is a good guy? 'Cause that sure as hell didn't sound like a good guy! Gotta agree with your friend on that one!” Daryl frowned, now he didn't understand why in the world she would think that she had done wrong by her ex. He sounded like a wimp and a whiney douchebag.  
  
“I just feel bad for what I did. I blindsided him by leaving him. He broke down, I heard he moved in with his parents for 4 weeks because he hadn't been able to function. Don't know if it's true.”  
  
“Even if it is, that's his problem. He should have seen it coming by the way he treated you. What he did was like emotional blackmail or something. You did the right thing. I understand why you did it, now. Surprised you didn't leave sooner.”  
  
“Well, I was pregnant and facing single motherhood. At that point it was all pretty overwhelming and even though I knew that it would be futile, I still tried to fix things for a couple of weeks. In the end I knew I would be better off raising him on my own. I have Nat for moral support, that'll do.”  
  
“You'll do fine! Don't worry.” He wanted to tell her that he would be there for her too, if she wanted him to be, but he just couldn't get it out. Instead he took a different, and in his mind less clingy approach. “How's his room coming along? Need help with that?”  
  
“I don't know, probably. I don't know what to do. I need to find another apartment, there is just not enough space here for both of our stuff. We'll have to share a room until I can move.”  
  
“I'll keep my eyes and ears open. This area is not that great anyway. Not for little kids.”  
  
“I know, I don't want to raise him here. There is still so much stuff to worry about. I need a bigger place, but I can barely afford this one. I'll have to go back to work soon, but nannies and daycare are expensive, too. God it's such a mess, my head is all jumbley with everything that needs to be taken care of! Can we just hit pause on that for today? I enjoy myself so much when we are together, I don't want those problems in here right now. Okay?” she looked tired all of a sudden and it was then that he realized all the burden she was carrying atop carrying her son. He desperately wanted to help out, take all the worries away and maybe in time he would be able to, but tonight he was there to distract her from it all. Not much else he could do anyway.  
  
“Okay, how about we eat and you show me one of those shows you like?  
  
She smiled and got up, reaching her hand out towards him.  
  
“Sounds like a great plan! And you know what? Today I'm putting you to work, you're gonna help with the salad!”  
  
“No problem, as long as the blade's sharp I'll slice as many tomatoes as you want.” he smiled and let himself be dragged to the kitchen.  
  
##### ######## ####### ######## ######## ######## #######  
  
“Soooo, how'd you like your first episode of Supernatural?” Jarah grinned when the end credits started rolling. She was comfortably propped up against some pillows she had placed at the armrest of her couch. Her feet were up and her toes were touching Daryl's thigh. Halfway through the episode, he'd tentatively put his hand on her left foot, his thumb gently rubbing circles over the soft skin of her instep.  
  
“I'm torn! Am I really supposed to believe that those two pretty boys are badass demon hunters?”  
  
“Well it's television, of course they're pretty. So you didn't like it?”  
  
“I did, it was okay. The brothers reminded me of Merle and I. The ghost lady was pretty. Thought it was you for a moment!” he admitted all the while looking down and only looking up at her with a shy smile for a short moment.  
  
“You did? Thank you, she really is pretty. Does that mean I am allowed to show you more episodes in the future?”  
  
“Yeah, I think I can get into that.” He looked at the clock on the wall and then at her. He would have loved to stay longer, but he could see that Jarah was tired and he didn't want to keep her from getting her rest. “I should go...”  
  
“Okay, I'm getting sleepy and I wouldn't want to be rude and fall asleep on you.” She swung her feet off the sofa and stretched a little before she got up.  
  
“You know, you don't always have to cook for me,... we could go and have dinner somewhere else... maybe... if you'd like...” Daryl was being all fidgety and it made him look so young and cute, Jarah couldn't help but smile. The other thing that made her smile was that this time she was a 100% sure that he was asking her out on a date. She may not pick up on a lot of things where guys are concerned, but this one was hard to miss.  
  
“Yeah, I'd really love that, Daryl. Whenever you want. I got nothing but time right now.”  
  
“Okay, I'll think of something. I'll um,... I'll see you tomorrow then!” Daryl didn't make any move to leave though. He didn't know what to do. To him this was his first date. Should he kiss her? Hug her? Or just shake her hand?  
  
Jarah watched him struggle with himself for a moment. She knew what he was thinking, she might have thought about similar things in that instant. She was shy about it herself, but in that moment she decided to put him out of his misery. She took one more step towards him, softly put his hand on his neck and leaned up on her tippy toes to be able to reach his face and then she placed a gentle kiss right next to the corner of his mouth. She lingered for a little moment, before she released him and smiled.  
  
“I'll see you tomorrow. Drive safe!”  
  
Daryl was a little dazed. For a split second he thought she was going to kiss his lips and it had caused his heart to start hammering in his chest at such a rapid rhythm, he was sure she was able to hear it.  
  
He didn't remember leaving her apartment. He didn't remember whether or not he had said good night. All he could think about was that she had kissed him and the feel of her soft, full lips against his skin. She had been so close it was almost driving him insane and he knew that little innocent kiss would haunt him for the rest of the night.  
  
'I can't wait!' he found himself smiling as he started up the truck and headed home.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
“Aaaahhh baby brother, back from your little romp in the woods? Did I help you out back there or what? Tell me that you nailed that fine piece of ass!” Merle was grinning around his mouthful of burger.  
  
“Fine piece of ass? I thought she was a fat pregnant chick?” Daryl countered his question with a question trying to stall the bout of humiliation Merle was sure to unleash on him.  
  
“So that's a no, huh? Right, forgot that you can only get it up when you're shitfaced. Tell me little brother, if you wanna keep this up with her, how are you gonna make that part work? Think she'll let you get drunk every time you wanna get it on? She's not gonna let you fuck her when you reek of booze, nah don't think so! Hell, do you even know what to do with a woman? Aside from just sticking your dick in her for two minutes?” Merle put the burger down and leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees while he looked expectantly at his younger brother.  
  
“Jesus Merle, I'm not an idiot!” Daryl spat, already getting upset. Merle had hit a nerve.  
  
“Maybe not, but you're a virgin!” Merle swore he saw Daryl flinch like he had struck another nerve.  
  
“Am not! I fucked girls, you know I did!”  
  
“Yeah baby brother, I know! I set them up for you, 'cause you couldn't even talk to them yourself! You fucked, you ain't a virgin in that sense, but you're still a little Virgin Mary in every other sense! You wanna be with her, then you better get your skills up. She won't be okay with you squeezing her tits for a minute and then go straight to banging her for another one before you're done and pull your pants back up. Doesn't work that way in a fucking relationship, ya know?”  
  
“I know, Merle. I'm not stupid! I can figure it out!”  
  
“Can you? Really? Have you even seen a girl naked? And I don't mean in fucking movies, I mean in the flesh, right in front of you? YOU ever been naked in front of one?”  
  
Daryl looked down at the old worn out blue carpet instead of giving Merle an answer, but it was all Merle needed to know what the answer was.  
  
“I know you! Once you got a live pussy in front of your face you'll be too intimidated to do anything. Not that you would even know what to do with it. She'll know right away what's going on. She's pregnant. Frank Carter said pregnant chicks are horny as fuck. She'll want you to make her cum, boy. Hard! Over and over again! You have even the slightest idea how to make that happen? No woman's ever gonna cum just from you sticking your dick inside her! I can promise you that! Maybe we should get you a couple of movies. Not the professional kind, more like home videos or something. Make you look at some shit couples do!” Merle got a kick out of watching his brother squirm.  
  
Daryl had buried his face in his hands, but Merle was still able to detect beet red skin between his fingers. His little brother was mortified.  
  
“Good God, Merle. Just fucking stop! It's none of your business anyway!” Daryl groaned into his hands. How he wished the whole staying over and sleep on Jarah's couch thing hadn't been just playful banter. It would have spared him this whole embarrassing ordeal. The worst part about it all was, that Merle was right and the smug bastard knew that he was right.  
  
“Aw c'mon baby brother. I'm just trying to help ya out. I always look out for you, you know that. And who else can you talk to about that kind of thing? Her? Besides, if you can't even talk about it, you sure as hell ain't ready to do it, boy. So man the fuck up here! It's just fucking!”  
  
“So what? Everybody learns at some point! YOU learned at some point!” Daryl shot back weakly.  
  
“Yeah I did, but you know what the difference was? I was a fucking teenager, fooling around with other teenagers. We were all learning. YOU are thirty-fucking-six years old and that girl you're sweet on, she's preggers for God's sakes, she sure ain't learning no more. Think she'll want to teach ya sorry ass?” Unfortunately, once again, Merle had a point. Daryl hung his head and sighed deeply. “Yeah, that's what I thought, bro. So you best figure out what to do or end this before you make a fool outta yourself!”  
  
“It's different with her. I can talk to her!”  
  
“Do you talk to her, though? From what I saw today in to woods, you were just standing there looking at her like a love-sick puppy dog. Just forget it, man. Forget her, go back to what you did before. At least that worked for ya.” Merle went back to eating his burger, to him the whole discussion was over. He'd made his point, now it was up to Daryl to figure things out.  
  
One thing Daryl already knew for certain. He was not gonna end this. He was really getting into it, especially now that he felt more and more comfortable around Jarah every time he was with her. He felt good around her and she was easy to talk to. Sure he still wasn't the most talkative person out there, but he got better. She made him want to be better and for her he would work on it. He felt that she would be worth it.  
  
Maybe Jarah wouldn't mind that much that he was inexperienced. She had told him that she had only slept with her ex and they hadn't been together THAT long. Maybe she wasn't all that experienced either. Maybe he would be able to find out how much experience she's had before they got intimate. Or maybe he should just tell her? Nah, telling her probably wasn't an option. Somehow it just had to work out. After all he had watched movies, he knew what people did in the sack and more importantly, he knew what he wanted to do to her, what he wanted to do with her. He'd fantasized about it more than enough now. He'd just do what he did in his fantasies and he was extremely observant, he would pay attention to what she liked and what not. Sex wasn't science, he could do this.  
  
'Fuck, Merle and his wisdom.' Daryl thought as he got up and went to his room to sleep, a lot more optimistic than he had been five minutes ago. For the first time in his life he had managed to kind of talk Merle out of his head and not letting Merle's ramblings get to him. He felt much better and thought that he should kick Merle out of his head more often from now on.  
  
####### ######## ####### ######## ######  
  
The next morning Jarah was on the phone with her friend Natalie. She had put her on speaker while she got dressed.  
  
“And he rubbed your foot while you were watching the show? He didn't try anything? Awe that's so cute, Jarah. I think I like this Daryl-guy already. Soooo, what about a kiss good night?” Natalie was so excited for her friend, she couldn't wait and get back to meet the new guy.  
  
“You should have seen him. He was so nervous and didn't know what to do. Neither did I, but something came over me... and I attacked him!”  
  
“WHAT?”  
  
“I'm kidding! I just kissed him. Not on the lips, but like riiiight next to them. You know, not on the cheek so he wouldn't think 'oh great, just friends.', but closer to his mouth to see whether or not he would pull away. Thank God he didn't.” Jarah laughed while she looked through her underwear drawer for a bra.  
  
“Of course he didn't. From what you tell me I think he really really likes you, sweetie. It's amazing. You're almost seven months pregnant and a hot guy falls for you. You know, you totally deserve that after all the crap that happened. I really hope it works out. I like that he seems to get you to be more outgoing.”  
  
“I have to be, otherwise we would probably just sit here and do nothing. Not even talk. I think he is pretty shy himself. Or he is one of those really intense people who barely ever talk, but when they say something, it is really meaningful you know? Maybe a bit of both. I don't care. I really like him, Natty. I am just so happy when I see him, I can't help but smile so big that it hurts.”  
  
“You sound really happy, too. I like that. It's been some time since you've been this relaxed.”  
  
“I know,... hey, do you think... well you know with Jackson I moved pretty fast, I don't wanna do that again, but I really wanna kiss Daryl. Do you think that's okay? If you count yesterday the next date would be the second one. Think making out would be okay?”  
  
“I think it would. You already spent much more time with him than you did with Jackson before you let him bang you, so you are certainly not making that mistake again. With Doc Ass Hat it was like, you met him at work, you talked for half an hour, went on a date two days later and you know 'boom boom'. You've spent how much time with Daryl now? Like four dinners or something? Pretty much the whole day yesterday? You went out and did stuff together and talked, you're getting to know each other, I think a little kissing won't hurt. I think second base might be fine, even. In the end there is just no guarantee, you know? The Jackson thing was just doomed from the start. If you had only listened to me, it wouldn't have come this far. Things with Daryl sound good. You can just never tell. It's possible that you'll sleep with him tonight and you'll get married and have like two more babies and everything will be perfect. It's also possible that you wait with having sex with him for another two weeks and it won't work out, you don't know. Nobody knows. Don't stress yourself, okay? Just do what you want to do. If you want him and feel that it's right, then do it. If you feel you should wait, then wait. Either will be fine. Okay?”  
  
“Crap!”  
  
“What? I give you a great speech and all you say is 'crap'?” Natalie was laughing. It was kind of how their friendship worked. She would go on and on and on about things and then Jarah would give an answer consisting of about 5 or less words, frustrating the hell out of Nat.  
  
“No it's not that. It's great advice, really and I'm grateful it's just that my damn bra won't fit anymore. The girls are spilling over the cups. What the fuck? I just bought this! I thought they wouldn't get bigger until the milk came in.”  
  
“Well honey, you are what 25 weeks now? It's gotta start sometime!”  
  
“But overnight? Are you kidding me?”  
  
“You started showing practically over night, too, so it shouldn't be that surprising. Friday night noting but a teeny tiny little bump and Saturday morning 'bam' four months pregnant.”  
  
“It's not funny. I know they are tiny, but I liked my boobs the way they were. Well they WERE tiny. Damn. I have to go out and buy new clothes, great.”  
  
“Really, like how big are we talking? Take a picture and send it to me!” Jarah laughed with a scoff and took a picture in the mirror to show Nat how the bra barely contained her anymore. It wasn't unusual for the two of them, they truly shared everything. They had breached the barrier of healthy embarrassment years ago when they had been living together for a couple of weeks and Nat had come out of the bathroom and had stated that her pee had been almost green. Jarah had almost pissed her pants from laughing so hard, she had literally been on the floor holding her stomach. Somehow it had prompted them to share weird bathroom stories over a bottle of wine and ever since then there had been nothing that had been too embarrassing to share anymore.  
  
“It's on its way to your phone. Might have gone up to a C-cup now.” Jarah muttered as she pushed and pressed to try to get her boobs all the way into the cups.  
  
“Woohoo, you look amazing, girl! Your body gave you brand new boobies for your date with Daryl!” Nat was singing happily and Jarah swore she heard her clapping her hands excitedly. “Maybe that's your sign Jarah. Your boobs are telling you that they wanna be touched by nice strong, big construction worker hands!”  
  
“They wanna be touched, alright! I knew that without them telling me. I look like a Picasso in this bra, guess I have to go shopping without wearing one. Great, let the shirt rub over my nipples, make me even hornier, awesome!”  
  
“Is it really that bad? Being horny? My sister said she was crawling up the walls sometimes when her husband couldn't make it home from work on time. I can't even imagine what it's like.”  
  
“It is bad! I am dying. Everything is a thousand times more sensitive. Even my vibrator gave up the other night. I can't get enough, it's horrible. I'm a monster!”  
  
Jarah was only met with roaring laughter and she let her friend get it out of her system while she put on her socks and pants.  
  
“Your vibrator gave up. That's the greatest thing I ever heard. Oh honey, don't worry. Pretty sure you'll soon have the real deal to take care of you.”  
  
“The poor man is not gonna know what hit him”  
  
“I'm sure he'll love it. You know how the first couple of weeks with a guy are. All sex, no talk. You being all hot and bothered all the time, please, he'll fall in love with you so hard it'll make his head spin.”  
  
“I don't want him to fall in love because I want him to fuck me over and over again. Been there, done that!”  
  
“I know, I was kidding. He'll fall in love with you because you are strong, funny and awesome. It's why I love you!”  
  
“And now you're making me cry!” Jarah took a deep breath and tried to blink the tears away. “I love you, too. I'm sorry I can't be there for the funeral.”  
  
“I wouldn't want you to be here. My family is superstitious. First thing my mother said was that I have to keep you away from the funeral. My grandmother always says that pregnant women shouldn't attend funerals because evil spirits and death like to cling to babies.”  
  
“Yeah I know, both my great-grandmother and my grandma had the same belief. Also money is tight, I just can't fly out right now.”  
  
“I know, don't worry about it. You're sending a card and flowers. We know you're with us. Listen, I gotta go. I'll call again when I can, but I'll be back by Friday. You go out and buy yourself some sexy new stuff, alright? I love you.”  
  
“Same here! Bye Natty!” Jarah hung up and looked for her red strapless maternity top. It was a nice and tight fit across her breasts, even more so now, and it would keep them from jiggling all over the place while she was out walking to the stores.  
  
###### ##### ##### ##### ###### #######  
  
“Hey, what are you doing?” Daryl met Jarah in the stairwell, carrying some tools up the stairs.  
  
'Trying to keep myself from having a spontaneous orgasm.' Jarah thought as she took in his looks. He had cut the sleeves off his work shirt and he was sweaty and his muscles were bunching from carrying the heavy tools. Some sweaty bangs were falling into his eyes and Jarah couldn't help herself. She reached out and gently swept them off his forehead towards his ear. Daryl looked at her in surprise, his features immediately softening.  
  
“You're not going shopping, right? You're not supposed to lift heavy shit!”  
  
“No I just need some new clothes, nothing heavy, I promise.”  
  
“Good.” They stood there looking at each other for a moment, before Jarah leaned in and placed a little kiss on the same spot as the previous night.  
  
“I gotta go, I'll see you later!”  
  
Daryl took a deep breath in and nodded with a shy little smile. “Alright,... later!” Then he stepped aside and let her pass by him, looking after her to make sure she got down the stairs okay. Jarah looked over her shoulder and gave him a little wink before she vanished out of sight, making Daryl remember that he actually had work to do. Not that easy knowing that the girl he liked was always just a couple of feet away.  
  
###### ####### ###### ###### ####### ###### #######  
  
She was back just in time for Daryl's lunch hour and he was already waiting by her door. As soon as he spotted her he walked towards her.  
  
“Gimme the bags!”  
  
“They are not heavy, it's just clothes!” she argued, but handed them over anyway.  
  
“Doesn't matter, I don't like to see you carrying stuff!” He watched her unlock and open the door and followed her inside, kicking it closed with his foot.  
  
“Are you hungry? Want me to make you a sandwich?” Jarah slipped out of her flip flops and enjoyed feeling the cold floor underneath her aching feet.  
  
“That's not why I came here! Wanted to ask you something!”  
  
“Well it's your lunch hour. Did you bring anything to eat?” He shook his head no and Jarah made her way into the kitchen. “Okay then, you can ask me what you wanted to ask me while I make you a sandwich. Come on!”  
  
She pulled out everything she would need and started by slicing a tomato. “So, what did you want to ask?”  
  
Daryl leaned against the counter next to her and watched her work.  
  
“You like steak houses?”  
  
“Yeah, I do. Why?”  
  
“Wanna go? Tonight? For Dinner?”  
  
“Yes, yes and yes. Sounds good. I don't have to wear anything fancy, do I? I'm afraid I didn't get anything like that!”  
  
“Nah, what you're wearing is fine. It's pretty!” he mumbled quietly, before quickly adding. “I mean, can you imagine me in a fucking monkey suit?”  
  
Jarah looked up at him and smiled. “I can, actually... and I think you'd look nice in everything.”  
  
This time Daryl was powerless. The way she looked at him, the way she had said it, he just couldn't help it, his body was moving on its own volition. There was no overthinking this time, she was so close and it was the perfect moment to lean closer and let his lips meet hers. And he did. He gently put his hand on her rounded belly and let it slide to her hip to turn her towards him and pull her a little closer. He closed the gap between them, leaning his head down towards her and softly pressed his lips against hers.  
  
It was a bit clumsy on his part, he still wasn't very sure of himself, but Jarah didn't mind. The butterflies were still wreaking havoc in her belly and it felt like they were starting to shoot all throughout her body. She was so happy that he had made the move this time, that she didn't even think about the bit of awkwardness the little kiss held. She dropped the knife and wrapped her arms around his neck while she rose up on her tip toes to have better access. She broke the kiss, but only to brush her lips over his, applying just a tiny bit of pressure here and there, trying to urge him on to kiss her again.  
  
Daryl's nervousness had returned, but only for a nanosecond when Jarah had pulled her lips away from his. His hands had settled on her hips, he had a death grip on them, like holding on to them was the only thing that made him able to stay in the moment and not bolt from the kitchen to catch his breath. Her lips were applying pressure again, coaxing him into responding. He parted them and let them brush along hers for a moment, just like she was doing to him, before he captured her bottom lip between his, earning himself a surprised little moan from Jarah.  
  
That spurred him into action. He released her bottom lip and this time gently caught her upper lip between his. Jarah's fingers slid into the hair at the nape of his neck, gently tugging on it while she kissed him back, little moans building in the back of her throat as she enjoyed herself immensely. Instincts just took over and Daryl turned off his brain and with it the voices of doubt who had been questioning whether he was doing it right or not.  
  
They stood in a tight embrace, exchanging hot open-mouthed kisses that varied in urgency and intensity for a couple of minutes. Jarah had a hard time holding it together. Just like he was holding on to her hips for dear life, she was holding on to his hair so she wouldn't rip his shirt off. Just these innocent little kisses were flooding the basement, so to speak. When Daryl lost himself and bit down on her bottom lip, she shuddered and groaned audibly before she quickly pulled away.  
  
“Whew,... I guess I should compliment you more often, huh?” She fanned herself before picking the knife back up.  
  
Daryl's cheeks were turning a light shade of red, his lips displayed a little smile though, but it was mostly hidden by his thumb which he had started chewing on. He was so fucking adorable, Jarah was tempted to pull him to the floor and do unspeakable things to him.  
  
“Hey, uhm, why don't you grab a Coke from the fridge and take a seat on the couch, put your feet up for a moment and I'll finish this sandwich real quick?” she needed him out of the kitchen, she had to take a moment to calm herself down.  
  
“'Kay, sounds good!” He grabbed the bottle from the fridge and left the kitchen, holding the cold plastic up against his heated forehead.  
  
Once he was out of the kitchen Jarah opened the fridge back up and stuck her head in for a moment. It was really hot today and kissing Daryl had made temperatures spike even more.  
  
“Goddamn, why didn't I buy a new vibrator? This is gonna kill me!” she groaned and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think of the goriest things she had ever seen before she resumed her work and fixed him a sandwich. Once that was done she added some potato chips to the plate and went over to sit next to him on the couch.  
  
“Aren't you eating?” he was scowling as he took his plate from her.  
  
“I stopped by Subway on the way back. I'm good. So, steak house you say? What time?”  
  
“I'm off at four today. I don't know, maybe seven? Or is that too late? Don't want your head to land on the food if you get too tired.”  
  
“It's fine. I'll take a nap once you're back to work. It's hot out there today. Wish I could have worn JUST the top outside, but that would have probably earned me some funny looks. Damn, could have gone for shorts. Why didn't I think of that before I left?”  
  
Daryl watched her with an amused smirk while she was seemingly talking to herself. He looked down at her legs when she mentioned wearing shorts, unfortunately she was still wearing jeans, so no bare skin for him to admire. His eyes skimmed her torso on his way back up. He noticed that something seemed different, but he couldn't put his finger on it.  
  
“Sorry, where were we?” He shrugged it off when Jarah started talking to him again and swallowed his food.  
  
“I'll pick ya up at seven! You can wear shorts to the steak house. It ain't anything fancy.” He froze, suddenly remembering that she used to be married to a doctor. She was probably used to expensive french restaurants and shit and here he was taking her to a lame-ass steak house. No frog legs there.  
  
“What's wrong?” She could sense his mood darkening.  
  
“You really okay with where we're going? I ain't got no doctor's salary...” He felt self-conscious and hated that he wouldn't be able to offer her the same things her bastard of an ex-husband had.  
  
“Oh Daryl, please, I SO don't care about that.” Jarah had to laugh, he had no idea how much she hated the lifestyle of the rich and the famous. “Trust me, I don't have a glamorous bone in my body. I'd pick a cheeseburger and soggy fries over oysters and caviar any time! So don't ever worry about that. One time my ex got me a bracelet just because and later Nat came over and brought a box of these huge, soft cookies from Subway and you know which excited me more? The freaking cookies!”  
  
“Okay,... Could always happen that they don't keep me on after we're finished here...”  
  
“So? You'll find something else eventually. I care about you, not your bank account. He might have more money, but I get the feeling that you got way more to offer than he ever will, so just stop that worrying right there. Got it?”  
  
“Yeah, got it!” He smiled, relieved that she seemed genuine. He hoped she would be true to her word should push come to shove. He didn't want her to think of him as some redneck trash loser.  
  
“Good, then eat up, you have to get back to work soon. Wanna take a bottle of water with you? I bet that apartment feels like a sauna while you work.”  
  
“Yeah, that would be good. Thanks!” He finished his food and took the empty plate into the kitchen where Jarah was pulling a bottle of water out of her fridge.  
  
“Here you go. You need to get back now, huh?”  
  
“I got like two more minutes...”  
  
“Good, we should put them to good use. I need a little something to hold me over til tonight!”  
  
This time there was no initiator, they met the other halfway. A sweet, gentle kiss. And another. And another and another and before they knew it they were back to nibbling and soft sucking. Jarah pulled away when the temptation to bring her tongue into play got too big. She knew that once that happened she wouldn't be able to stop for quite some time.  
  
She gave him a gentle shove and grinned, her face flushed and her eyes practically glowing. “Back to work!”  
  
“Yes, Ma'am!” he grinned and released her from his grip. He stole one more kiss before he left, making Jarah slump against the door with a happy sigh after she had closed it behind him. It was happening, they liked each other, she couldn't believe her luck.  
  
'He'll run as soon as the boy is born!' a little voice in the back of her mind kept saying, but Jarah wasn't willing to listen. For once she didn't want to worry about the future. She did that more than enough. She just wanted to enjoy for now and right now she would enjoy a cold shower, a nap and then a nice evening with Daryl.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
Jarah had never been the kind of person to stand in front of a mirror longer than necessary, but today she found herself staring into it more than she was willing to admit. For the very first time in her life she was able to pull off wearing something that showed a little bit more cleavage than she usually did. And it was kind of awesome.  
  
Funny, that at almost 7 months pregnant she felt sexier than she ever had in her entire life. She felt so good that she had even put on a little bit of eyeliner and mascara for the first time in months. Usually she didn't feel the need to do it, but tonight she wanted to look as good as she possibly could for Daryl. He was taking her out to eat and she didn't want him to have to be ashamed for being seen with her. After taking a shower she skipped blow-drying her hair, letting her natural waves come out and tumble down over her shoulders and back. Or would Daryl prefer it straight? Or up? She would have to find that out over time. Today she would go with her first instinct, naturally wild.  
  
Not that she would have time to change it now, anyway. She had overslept a little, the heat had gotten to her more than she thought and after her shower she had been dead on her feet. She'd slept for almost four hours. She had stopped feeling bad about sleeping a lot a long time ago. Her doctor had told her that she should sleep whenever she felt like it and as much as she wanted, because soon that blissful and peaceful sleep would be pretty much nonexistent.  
  
She looked at the clock, it was almost six pm. Daryl would be here soon.  
  
“He said six, right? Or seven? Damnit!” Jarah cursed her pregnancy brain, she couldn't remember clearly what time they had agreed on. That part she hated, she used to be extremely organized, she had never needed to write anything down, her head had been her organization center. She was always on time and she was always prepared. Well, she used to be. Now she forgot appointments and the doctor's receptionists had to call her more than once to remind her, which would leave her absolutely mortified every single time it happened.  
  
Well, since she couldn't remember, there was only one way to find out. She'd have to call him. That would make her look great, forgetting when their date was. She got her cell phone from the kitchen counter and called his number.  
  
“Well hello there, Shorty! How ya doin'?” the male voice bellowed into her ear after the fourth ring. Jarah knit her brows in confusion. The guy didn't sound like Daryl.  
  
“Uhm, hi,... who's this?”  
  
“Aww, I'm offended, Shorty. You don't remember me? It's your boyfriend's brother, girl!”  
  
“Of course, could have guessed that. Sorry. Hi Merle! Is Daryl around?”  
  
“He's in the shower, scrubbin' that slender little body of his real good. Just for you.” Jarah was even more confused. Merle had been so nice in the woods and right now he sounded a little off. Almost taunting. Was he drunk? Daryl had told her that Merle had been into drugs. Maybe he'd fallen off the wagon?  
  
“Can I help ya with something, sweet cheeks?” Jarah realized that she had been silent and shook herself out of it.  
  
“No thanks, Merle. If he is in the shower right now that already answers my question.”  
  
“While I got you alone for a minute, Shorty, I gotta talk to you about something!”  
  
“Okay, what?” Jarah was curious what Merle wanted to talk to her about. She figured maybe something like 'don't hurt my little brother'.  
  
“I don't know how far you thinking of taking it with my little bro tonight, but ya gotta cut him some slack in the bedroom, if ya catch my drift!”  
  
“What? Sorry, but what the hell are you talking about?” Jarah was convinced now that Merle had to be drunk or high.  
  
“He's all shy and sweet, my baby brother, you know. Hasn't been with girls a lot. He won't know what to do to make ya-”  
  
“Who the fuck are you talking to?” Merle got cut off from saying anything else as Jarah heard Daryl's voice coming closer to the phone. “Aw shit, no,... hey” Daryl greeted her hesitantly after looking at the screen of his phone and reading her name. She swore she could practically hear him chew on his thumb nervously.  
  
“Hey. Is your brother drunk? 'Cause he seems drunk!”  
  
“Nah, ain't drunk, but about to be dead! Why you callin? You wanna cancel?”  
  
“No not at all. Okay it's silly but I am really forgetful and have to write down fucking everything, but I forgot to write down the time you wanted to pick me up. Couldn't remember if it was six or seven, so I called to ask you.”  
  
“Seven. We said seven.” Daryl was shrinking back into his shell a little after the little stunt Merle had pulled. Who knew what else he had told her?  
  
“Yeah I figured when he said you were in the shower. I'll let you get back to getting ready. I'll see you in a little while.” She hoped that he would be able to hear the excited smile in her voice, but Daryl didn't show any sign that he had.  
  
“Yeah, see ya soon.” He hung up and turned around, shoving Merle hard. “What the fuck, man? Can't you just stay out of my shit for once? What are you doing going around and telling her that shit?” Daryl kept shoving him until he had him backed into the walll.  
  
“Just trying to help you out, bro! Come on, now she knows, that's good! No bad surprises! Now she knows to be all patient and gentle with you.” Merle was snickering, not at all intimidated by his steaming mad younger brother.  
  
“Come on, lighten up. You act like it's the end of the world. Who knows, maybe she likes it. You're a blank canvas, she can teach you everything SHE likes. She can turn you into her very own boy toy. Her little sex slave! How do you like that, baby brother? Isn't that what you want? To be her little bitch? It's what's gonna happen. That's what relationships are for. You better get used to it right from the start. Someone's gotta be in control. Have to teach her her place right at the beginning, but you ain't got the balls to do that, so she'll do it to you. You just wait!”  
  
“Yeah, guess you're right. After all that's what happened to you, right? With that Marianne girl? She owned your ass! She still owns it! Look at you, still can't get over her! Keep trashing relationships, nothing you say counts for shit. YOU don't know how to be in one yourself. Wanna know why she dumped your ass? Because you are a self-absorbed, miserable piece of shit! So take your fucking wisdom, all your oh so smart advice and shove it up your ass! You are just like HIM!” Daryl exploded on his brother, finally telling him what he'd been wanting to throw in his face for months.  
  
“Watch your mouth, little brother or I swear I'll fuck you up. I ain't nothing like our Daddy. I ain't no fucking woman beater! I'd never beat the shit out of my own kids.” Merle growled, his voice dangerously low.  
  
“Maybe not, we'll never find out, 'cause you won't ever have any. 'Cause Merle Dixon don't do relationships, right? All these years telling me I'm weak for caring about shit. Took me all this time to realize that you're the fucking weak one. 'Cause you're scared. You're too scared to care about anything. Always talking how you're the only one who'd ever care about me. Lying peace of shit! You don't care about me! If ya did, ya wouldn't have done this shit, telling her I'm a fucking virgin. Just stay the fuck out of my life or you're on your own! See how you like it when I STOP caring 'bout your miserable ass!” Daryl gave his brother one last shove before he went to his room, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Merle was quiet. For once he didn't have a smart comeback. He had underestimated his little brother. Seemed like Daryl knew how to hit the right nerves just as much as Merle himself did. His baby brother had figured him out, there was no more denying it. It was true, Merle Dixon had been in love once, but he'd been too screwed up to let it show. He had treated Marianne badly. He'd never hit her, but he had been good at ignoring her and then yelling at her for shit. He had always felt bad afterward, but had been too proud to apologize. He had been fool enough to believe that she loved him enough to put up with it, so when she kicked him out one day, he got the rug pulled out from under his feet. Daryl was right. He was miserable and still hurt, even though it had been his own fault.  
  
In his own way he meant well. He did care about Daryl and he didn't want him to have to go through the same thing. Daryl had always been more sensitive than Merle and if that breakup had been able to hurt him that much, Merle was sure that Jarah dumping Daryl would nearly kill his baby brother.  
  
He wanted Daryl to be happy, but happiness was not something the Dixons were destined for, so Merle was pretty sure that sooner or later Jarah would kick Daryl to the curb. Unfortunately it seemed that he no longer had that much influence on Daryl. His little brother was hell-bent on getting into this so he would just have to try to accept it and be supportive by not getting involved. The girl seemed nice enough, guess it was time to let his baby brother spread his wings and fly. But if Merle was right and things would fall apart, nothing would keep him from giving his brother a big fat 'told you so'.  
  
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Daryl couldn't breathe. As soon as Jarah opened the door to let him him, every bit of air left his lungs and he didn't seem to be able to remember how to take a breath. She was stunning. He'd thought she was beautiful before? Well, he hadn't seen nothing yet.  
  
“Hi, there you are!” She pulled him closer by his shirt and rose up to press her lips against his. Thank God that pulled him out of his stupor, he must have looked like an idiot, standing there and gaping. His hands found her belly and slid down to her hips to pull her as close as possible without squishing the baby. When he pulled back from her mouth his eyes skimmed over her face to take in the subtle changes.  
  
Her beautiful large eyes were framed by thin black lines and her long lashes were coated with a layer of jet-black mascara, making the little green flecks in her irises stand out even more. He hair was different, too. His fists were itching to bury themselves in the wild mane and he briefly wondered what it would feel like to have her hair touch his thighs while her mouth was busy on his dick.  
  
His gaze dropped lower and his mouth started watering, even though his brows furrowed. Something had changed in that area, too. He heard Jarah giggle and looked back up.  
  
“I don't think I've ever been able to distract someone with my cleavage. It's awesome!”  
  
“So they are...”  
  
“Bigger? Yeah, it's okay, you can say it! Nice little pregnancy perk!”  
  
Nice, indeed. Now he knew that it was what had been different about her earlier when he had lunch with her.  
  
“You like?” Jarah grinned against his lips when she leaned up to kiss him again.  
  
Daryl blushed, but nodded. “Yeah, I do!”  
  
Was she kidding? He loved it. He couldn't believe that he was the lucky guy who got to kiss her and take her out tonight. They shared a few lingering kisses, before Jarah pulled away and grabbed her purse.  
  
“Alright, we should go.” She was hungry and she knew if she kept up kissing him, they wouldn't be eating any time soon, especially with the way he was looking at her.  
  
###### ###### ###### ###### ##### ###### #######  
  
“So let me guess, today on the phone that was the REAL Merle and the one in the woods was just acting all nice. Am I right?” Jarah brought up the elephant in the room when the waitress left with their order.  
  
“Yeah, you're right. He can be a nice guy, most of the time he just isn't.”  
  
“Hm and you being the little brother, you're one of his favorite targets?”  
  
“Pretty much.”  
  
“You know, Natalie's coming back on Friday. She is really good at whipping guys like him into shape, maybe we should introduce her to him.” Jarah suggested. She knew that if this thing with Daryl would turn into something more they would all have to meet eventually. Natalie was a big part of her life and Merle was a big part of Daryl's. And the sooner they'd get it over with, the better.  
  
“Thought you liked your friend? Shouldn't let her anywhere near him then!”  
  
“Ah nonsense, she can hold her own. She beat up older kids in kindergarten when they threatened her little sister. She's got a lot of experience with school yard bullies. And that's exactly what your brother sounds like!”  
  
“Yeah, might be right on that one. Listen, about what he told you about me...” Daryl looked down at his Coke. He would have preferred a beer, but with Jarah and her unborn baby in the car, he wasn't going to take any chances. He was nervously tracing the drops of water that were sliding down the glass with his thumb. He didn't really know what to say about what Merle had told her other than it being the truth.  
  
“You don't have to say anything, Daryl. Look at me, please?” Jarah took his hand in hers and tried to catch his gaze. When he finally looked up she looked directly into his eyes and squeezed his hand.  
  
“I don't care! Okay?” She hoped that she was able to convey what she meant. When she saw relief flash in his eyes for a short moment she knew that she had succeeded. Somehow she had already figured that Daryl probably wasn't the most experienced person on the planet. That was totally fine by her, because neither was she. She had yet to learn to enjoy sex with another person.  
  
She had been working in health care for a long time. She was used to seeing and touching dozens of naked men and women every single day. She thought that it might have numbed her. The naked body had no longer held anything exciting or attractive to her. When she started seeing Jackson she had liked his body, but it didn't arouse her in any way. Sure sometimes she liked having sex with him just to blow off some steam, but mostly she did it because it was expected. At first she thought that Jackson might really be crazy about her and couldn't keep his hands off of her because he wanted her so much, but she soon found out that he pretty much merely used sex to be able to relax after a long and stressful day at work in the ER. It made him sleep better.  
  
He wasn't very passionate either. He had his program or more like about two versions of it and he would alternate between them every other night. He knew how to give her an orgasm and at first she had been over the moon, but soon she grew downright bored and just faked it so it would be over quicker. During their last time together she even had to keep herself from laughing in his face. He prided himself on his great oral skills. How she wished she would have told him that he had not once been able to make her cum that way. Every single time he had gone down on her she had faked it. She really wasn't into it at all and she had no idea why women liked it so much. Jackson's tongue had always felt like a cold, dead eel slithering through her folds. She still shuddered when she thought back to those moments.  
  
When she had told Nat that she hated it, the woman almost had her committed. She had Jarah tell her exactly what Jackson had done and burst out laughing when Jarah had told her that Jackson often stopped (not just during oral but also during kissing and intercourse) and took a couple of sips of water before he kept on doing what he was doing. She was sure that the cold water explained the dead and cold eel, but Jarah wasn't sure. She just hated it. So yeah, Daryl wasn't the only one who still had some things to learn where intimacy was concerned. But maybe the fun was in learning together. Jarah firmly believed that things would be different with Daryl. Him, she really wanted with every fibre of her being.  
  
“Hey, still with me? Food's here!” Daryl's raspy voice pulled her out of her memories.  
  
“Jesus, sorry. I just get lost thinking about stuff sometimes. How long have I been out?”  
  
“Just a minute or two! It's alright, happens to me, too. Are we good?” Daryl wanted to make sure that the phone incident didn't have any impact on whatever it was they had.  
  
“Yeah, we're really good. Man and this food looks delicious. Thanks for bringing me here!” She smiled so big it made Daryl's heart flutter.  
  
“No problem. Don't know if I'm doing you any favors though. It's probably not as good as your cooking!”  
  
“Oh honey, don't stress yourself. I am really not that good a cook. There's like a handful of dishes I'm good at and the rest is pretty mediocre. I have about 5 favorite ingredients I just use over and over and over again in different combinations. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.”  
  
“What are the 5 things, then?”  
  
“Some kind of meat, bacon, onions, garlic and some kind of cheese. And then there are some baked goods I'm good at, but also like just a handful of things I make over and over. Like cream cheese brownies or a mean sheet cake with advocaat and white chocolate.”  
  
“Thought you wanted to convince me that you weren't such a good cook? Gotta tell ya, all those things are right up my alley!”  
  
“Guess you should apply for a gym membership then if you don't already have one. That is, if you want to keep your shape, 'cause you're gonna get a lot of that stuff if you decide to stick around.”  
  
“I plan to...” he smirked a little, liking that his admission made Jarah bite her bottom lip to keep from blinding the other patrons with her beaming smile. “But I don't need a gym as long as I got work.”  
  
“That's true I guess. Anyway, my steak is fantastic. How's yours?”  
  
“Good. Still liked yours better!” he stated matter-of-factly, making Jarah laugh.  
  
“You're sweet, but don't say that any louder or they are gonna spit in your drink!”  
  
“Nah, I didn't insult the waitress, just the cook.”  
  
“But what if the cook is her boyfriend and she gets revenge for him?”  
  
Daryl looked at her with an amused smirk and slightly shook his head.  
  
“I think you watch too much damn TV!”  
  
“Yeah, I know. That'll change in about 15 weeks.” Jarah smiled, but Daryl sensed a hint of nervousness in her voice.  
  
“You're scared.” It wasn't a question, for the first time since he'd met her, he could see fear in her eyes.  
  
“Hell yeah I am. Not just of giving birth, but of having to see Jackson again after that. And one of the things I am most afraid of is that I'll go into labor in the middle of the night, like when nobody is around, you know? It's weird, I don't know why I feel like that, but somehow thinking about it starting in broad daylight doesn't scare me as much.”  
  
“Daylight gives you safety. You feel more prepared, I bet. At night it just hits ya out of the blue. Makes ya panic more!”  
  
Jarah looked at him, eyes wide in amazement. “Holy fuck, you're right. That's it. You totally get it!”  
  
“Just makes sense!” Daryl shrugged, before he looked up at her in concern. “Hey, you okay?”  
  
“Yeah! Sorry! Jesus.” Jarah tried hard to blink tears away. “Hormones. Sometimes stuff gets a little overwhelming. There, all good again.”  
  
“Didn't mean to make you cry!” Daryl looked apologetic.  
  
“You didn't, it just happens sometimes. Might happen again sometime, can't really help it.” she hated crying in front of people, especially in front of Daryl. She didn't want him to think of her as one of those hysteric, sobbing messes.  
  
“It's okay. Want dessert?”  
  
“Oh dear God no, I'm stuffed, thanks!” Jarah had already put down her fork and steak knife a couple of minutes ago, making Daryl frown.  
  
“You barely touched ya food. Not that good after all?”  
  
“No, it's great really. I think my baby might be pressing on my stomach today. Usually this plate would be empty by now, trust me!”  
  
“You could tell me though, if ya didn't like it!”  
  
“But I did, I swear. Is this about the money thing? You worry too much! I love it here! Really!”  
  
“Okay, I believe you!” Daryl gave her a little smile. He just wanted everything to be damn near perfect for her. He knew she was a good eater, not touching her food had him worried for a second that he'd done wrong by taking her here.  
  
“I'm sure I'll be able to eat more in an hour or so. I got ice cream at home. We could have dessert there if you'd like.”  
  
“Yeah sounds good. I'm sure I'll like it better than anything they got here anyway!”  
  
“Well, it's not homemade ice cream, but I'm sure I can whip something up you'll like! Maybe it will help me to talk you into doing me a favor?” Jarah blushed, she always felt uncomfortable asking people for something.  
  
“What do you need?”  
  
“I've been thinking about getting a doula for the birth. Natalie might not be able to be there, having babies is not exactly a science and you never know when it's gonna happen. She can take the week off around his due date, but if he wants to be born earlier or later and she is working, there is no way for her to just take off. The nursing home is heavily understaffed. Anyway, she's coming to my apartment tomorrow and I was wondering if you could maybe be there, too? I'm just really uncomfortable around women the first time I meet them. And I don't like having strangers in my space, so it would be really great to have you there for moral support.”  
  
“I was a stranger when you first invited me!” Daryl smirked, he liked being able to make her blush.  
  
“Yeah, but the difference was, that I liked you! I actually wanted you around!”  
  
“What time is she coming over?”  
  
“Five pm.”  
  
“Yeah that works. I'm off around four again.”  
  
“Great, thank you. I really appreciate it!” She reached over and squeezed his hand with a smile.  
  
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They sat at their table talking and finishing their drinks a bit longer, before Daryl took her home. He couldn't wait to be alone with her again. The kissing thing was still new to him, but he was really into it and he hoped they would do a little more of that before he went home.  
  
He'd stayed outside to have a smoke while Jarah went up to her apartment. She'd left the door open for him so she wouldn't have to go back and forth to open it for him. Her feet were a little achy today, she just didn't feel like walking around too much.  
  
Daryl found her in the kitchen once he came back up and saw her wince while pressing her hands against her lower back.  
  
“You in pain?” He felt bad when he saw her jump in shock at hearing his voice.  
  
“Jesus Christ, Daryl! Did you float in here?” She pressed her right hand to her chest and gasped for breath.  
  
“Sorry, should have called out. What's with your back?”  
  
“Hurts a little. I got lazy since I started ordering stuff online and I put on some weight, so when I walked around town for 2 hours this morning, I guess my back didn't really like that.”  
  
Daryl went over and put the lid back on the ice cream container, before putting it back in her freezer.  
  
“Come on, we don't need ice cream now. You gotta sit down!” He took her hand and pulled her back into the living room. She watched him curiously while he kicked off his boots and plopped down on her couch. He scooted back into the corner and turned sideways, putting one leg up to rest against the back while he motioned for her to sit between his legs.  
  
Jarah sat down and Daryl took hold of her arms and slowly pulled her back against his chest.  
  
“C'mon, put your feet up!” he rasped into her ear once her head rested against his shoulder. Jarah instinctively pressed her legs together, trying to get some friction as lust filled shudders ripped through her bodies. His gravelly voice in her ear was sexy as hell. She wondered if he would be able to make her cum just by talking dirty in her ear. She liked his chances.  
  
She put her legs up on the couch and settled comfortably against him. Daryl shifted a little until he found the perfect position for the both of them before reaching between them to put his hands on her lower back. His thumbs dug into the sore muscles using just the right amount of delicious pressure. Her eyes fell shut, her mouth fell open and within seconds he had her practically purring.  
  
“Fuck, Daryl! That's amazing! Can you keep doing that for like a day or two?” She moaned low in her throat, he was able to feel the vibrations against his chin, as he was resting his face lightly against hers. The sensation went straight to his dick, making it twitch traitorously inside his pants.  
  
“Can't, you'll get way too sore. It would just end up hurting ya even more!” he chuckled against her ear, making another round of goosebumps appear on her soft skin. “But, I could do it every day after work for a couple of minutes.”  
  
“Really? That would be SO awesome. Mmmmm Daryl, that's so good, you have no idea!”  
  
Maybe not, but she was giving him a pretty good idea of how she would sound like during sex and it did not help him to keep his cool. Her moans were the sexiest thing he had ever heard and they weren't even doing any funny business. Yet, he was already half hard. He kept massaging her back for a little longer, until Jarah reached behind her and pulled his hands to the front, putting them on her belly.  
  
“Thank you, I feel much better already!” She turned her head up a little to look at him. Daryl smiled and leaned down, kissing her gently while his hands rubbed her belly, still amazed at the movement he felt against his palms here and there.  
  
“It's so soft. I always thought it would be kinda hard.” He muttered against her lips, referring to her belly.  
  
“So did I. Whenever I saw other pregnant women, their bellies looked so full and firm. I didn't expect it to stay this soft either. I guess I always thought it would be like a hard shell. Like a turtle, you know. But it's not. It's scary how easily it can be squished. I'm always scared of slipping and falling on my front.”  
  
“It's not gonna happen, you'll be fine! You always wear flat shoes, that's all ya can do. Don't worry!”  
  
“You always know the right thing to say! You're really sweet, you know that?” She didn't expect an answer. Instead she put her hand on his cheek and pulled him down to her lips again. Like earlier they started out sweet and slow, but it didn't take long for their kisses to grow more urgent. This time Jarah didn't waste much time, she wanted to taste him. She caught his bottom lip between her teeth, biting with gentle pressure while her tongue swept along the captive flesh. She released it a second later, before he felt the tip of her tongue pushing against his slightly parted lips.  
  
He opened them a little more for her and let her invade his mouth. A low moan escaping both of them when their tongues touched for the first time. Jarah took charge, her hand fisting the hair at the nape of his neck and her tongue exploring his mouth, teasing his in the process, allowing Daryl to lean back and just feel for a moment.  
  
But he didn't lean back for long. He wanted to give just as much as he was taking from her. She felt amazing and she made HIM feel amazing. He felt like he had been shocked with electricity, every nerve ending in his body was tingling and he wanted her to feel the same and more importantly, he wanted to be the one who made her feel like that.  
  
He grabbed at her, trying to get her to turn around and straddle his lap. This position was nice, but they'd both end up with a crick in their neck if they kept going and Daryl didn't plan on stopping anytime soon. Jarah got the message and broke away from his lips for a moment, to carefully re-position herself. She straddled him, wrapping her arms around his neck, loving the feel of his hair between her fingers as their lips feverishly reconnected.  
  
Daryl's left hand rubbed across her back, while his right buried itself in her wild hair, like he'd been itching to do for hours. He pulled on it, making the woman in his lap moan and press her pelvis against his hard as he tilted her head to the side. He took over the reigns, taking control of the kiss. His tongue slid into her mouth, passionately tangling with hers. They didn't fight for dominance, Jarah gladly let him have it. She was in heaven, the sounds of their kissing, their moans and heavy breathing were a major turn-on.  
  
Just like when he was out on a hunt, Daryl let his instincts guide him. He turned off the voices in his head that told him that he was being too rough, her moans told a different story. The hand in her hair held her tightly, making her unable to move her head, while he took from her what he craved.  
  
She absolutely loved it, she let him have everything he wanted in that moment. Only when he released her hair to grab her shoulders and pull her against him even more, did she try to get back in charge. She caught his tongue between her teeth and sucked on it, making him buck up into her. In that moment Daryl became painfully aware of his raging hard-on, causing him to pull back and shift his hips to put some distance between his and hers.  
  
“Hey, you don't have to hide it, Daryl! Trust me, I'm not doing much better, you just can't tell without touching.” She smiled while she took his face in her hands and traced her thumbs along his cheekbones.  
  
“Still think we should stop. It's late and you need to rest! You're already hurting!” He carefully pushed her off of him and she went willingly. If he was gentleman enough to stop, she wasn't going to push him and also if what Merle had told her was true, maybe he just needed a little bit more time before things went further and she would be the last person to force someone into having sex.  
  
Daryl took a moment to regain his composure before he let her walk him to the door. He was careful to keep their good night kiss short and gentle, the temptation to push her against the wall and plunder her mouth again was just too big. He didn't want to lose his head, he wanted to do right by her.  
  
“I'll be here after work, 'kay?” He murmured against her lips, doorknob already in hand.  
  
“You're not coming here for lunch?” she was disappointed that she'd have to wait until late afternoon to have him back here.  
  
“Nah, got some things to take care of! Now go to bed, see ya soon!” He kissed her one more time before quickly slipping out of her apartment.  
  
She looked the door behind him and sighed out loud.  
  
“Go to bed, my ass! Thanks to you I got a date with trusty old Mr. Shower Head now.”  
  
Knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to sleep without relieving the tension Daryl had built inside of her, she trudged into the bathroom to take care of business.  
  
At least this time she knew what Daryl felt, tasted and sounded like. It would make the task so much easier.  
  
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	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
“What's that woman for again?” Daryl was relaxing on Jarah's couch and eating a sandwich after work, while Jarah had her legs across his lap and was rubbing her belly.  
  
“She's a birth doula, she is supposed to help me prepare for birth and be with me all throughout the labor, answer all my questions, give me some support and stuff like that. Basically what Nat would do, just that she knows way more about the whole giving birth thing than Nat ever will. So even if Nat will be able to be there, it won't hurt to have a doula as well.” Jarah explained while she tried to get comfortable. The area around her ribcage was all achy today, no way Daryl would be able to massage that discomfort away.  
  
“Right,... Wanna do something after?”  
  
“I don't know, I don't feel all that great today. These stretching pains are pissing me off. Can we just stay in and watch TV or something?”  
  
“Sure we can. Maybe I can help out with the pain again!” he rubbed her leg comfortingly, referring to the back rub he had given her the previous night.  
  
“Yeah, that would be great. Oh doorbell, how I hate that sound!” Jarah swung her legs off of Daryl's lap and went to open the door.  
  
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Daryl was surprised. He had no idea why, but he had pictured an elderly lady when hearing the term doula. An experienced, wise and gentle old lady who would be there for Jarah and tell her to breathe through the pain in her best soothing story-telling voice.  
  
But this woman who introduced herself as Stephanie Thorne had to be around his age and somehow that unnerved him. She didn't look like a very experienced person. Not at all like somebody who would be able to give advice and help with things. Sure, she looked nice enough, but what did it matter whether she looked nice or not? Jarah needed someone who actually knew what they were doing.  
  
Introductions were made, it was established that they were dating, but that Daryl was not the father of the baby and that shocked Daryl into getting lost in his thoughts for a moment. Yes, it had only been a week but he really liked Jarah, he shied away from the 'L-word', he wasn't ready to admit yet that he was falling in 'L' fast and hard. He had rubbed her belly more than once by now and every single time he felt a thump against his palm he had felt like he was connecting to that little life growing inside of her. He didn't consider himself to be the father, but he was 'something'. Whatever it was might not have a name, but there was something there, he had a connection to that baby.  
  
Having Jarah clearly state that he wasn't the dad, even though it was true, it made him feel kind of left out. Like he didn't belong in this room right now. Like Jarah wasn't acknowledging the connection he had to her son. It was silly, but he felt like stomping his foot and petulantly declaring that he might not be the daddy, but that he wasn't JUST the mother's boyfriend either. Boyfriend, he hated that term. Even though he knew without a doubt that he was her boyfriend, if she ever called him that he would cringe. They would have to come up with something else. Boyfriends and girlfriends were for teenagers not for grown ass people like them.  
  
But first things first. He felt the need to make sure that he wasn't being ignored in this. Even though they both haven't talked about where this was going and what was going to happen once that baby was born, he wanted her to know that he would be there for her and help her. So when the doula addressed him, his answer shot out of him without hesitation.  
  
“Are you going to be there during the birth, Daryl? Or is the father going to be present?”  
  
“Yeah, I'll be there!” He hadn't even registered her second question he had answered that quickly.  
  
Jarah's eyebrows shot up and she looked at him gaping in shock. “What? Daryl...”  
  
“Oh, that question hasn't come up yet, I see. Well if he is willing to be there, you should consider letting him. The more support you get-” the doula was cut off by Jarah who was shaking her head.  
  
“No, no, no, no, no... Hold on! Daryl, I don't even know what to say right now. I'm just... No... God no,... I'm sorry Stephanie, we haven't been seeing each other that long and no it hasn't come up, Daryl is just supposed to be here for moral support right now.” She looked at Daryl and sighed. “We'll talk about this later!”  
  
“Yeah we will!” he grumbled, clearly unhappy at being shot down in front of the doula.  
  
The two women talked about how the pregnancy had been progressing so far and Daryl learned that Jarah had been suffering from extremely high blood pressure for the past four months and that it was the reason why she had to go see her doc twice a week.  
  
“Your doctor already told you that you are at a high risk of getting preeclampsia, right? So we'll monitor you even more closely the further along you get to avoid putting you and your baby at risk.”  
  
“What's that preclamp-stuff?” Daryl didn't like the sound of Jarah and the baby being “at risk”.  
  
“Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-related problem. The main symptom is high blood pressure after 20 weeks of pregnancy, coupled with other symptoms, the most common one is protein being found in the mothers urine.” Stephanie explained to Daryl, but that was not what he wanted to know.  
  
“What does it do? Is it dangerous?”  
  
“It can cause severe complications that harm the mother, yes. That's why it's important for Jarah to get regular check-ups.”  
  
“What complications?”  
  
“Daryl, I can explain later, it's not important right now!” Jarah grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently, trying to get him to back off.  
  
“Nah, you said she's here to answer questions and I have questions. She's the professional, let her explain. I wanna know!” Daryl wanted the truth. If he knew everything there was to know he could prepare and help keep an eye on her.  
  
“It can cause bleeding, it can cause the placenta to separate from the uterus before the baby is born, in some cases it can cause her liver to rupture, it can cause a stroke and sometimes it causes death. But those cases are very, very rare and we'll make sure that both your girlfriend and the baby are as safe as possible.”  
  
“And it can't be treated or cured or anything? How do I keep her from getting it, then?”  
  
“You know, there is no way to prevent preeclempsia from happening, but there are ways to detect it pretty quickly. You might be able to pick up on things, Jarah might not pick up on, like her face and hands swelling. Keep an eye on her. If she suddenly gains weight over night or more than 2 pounds a week, that could be a sign. If she keeps getting headaches that just won't go away, if she develops a high sensitivity to light or her vision changes, nausea and belly pain on the right side, those are quite severe symptoms and you'll have to take her to see her doctor right away. I doubt that will happen, especially if she is being monitored twice weekly. You won't have anything to worry about.” Stephanie smiled gently at Daryl to reassure him. He didn't care about her smile. He was saving all the information in his brain like a computer, just in case.  
  
“If I do get it though, the doctor might want to induce labor, right? I have heard some really horrible stories about induced labor. I asked my doctor about it, but she didn't give me a direct answer, so maybe you can. I really need to know if it is really as bad as people say.” After reading some stuff online Jarah was more worried about induced labor than a c-section and she needed straight answers.  
  
“Well, there is no straight answer. It is different for every woman, it depends on their tolerance level where pain is concerned. My experience though is, that induced labor is indeed more intense and more painful than natural labor. Induced labor often comes with a lot of risks as well. They are using chemicals to make your body do something it is not yet ready to do, so that's a problem. It happened a lot more than I'd like to admit, that the doctors induced labor and the woman suffered from really intense contractions that were right on top of each other for up to 40 hours without dilating and by that point they were too weak to push so they had to get a c-section. 40 hours of pain for nothing, so to speak.  
  
“Great, that's something I really want to avoid then! Just like an episiotomy.” Jarah shuddered at the mere thought of it.  
  
“What's that?” Daryl braced himself for more bad stuff. He thought that doula chick was here to help and support and all that shit. So far she's done nothing than to make him feel shitty.  
  
“If the baby's head is too big to pass through the vaginal opening and the doctors thing that it would cause a second- or third-degree tear, he will use a pair of operating scissors to make an incision from the posterior vaginal wall to the anus which will be sutured close after the baby is born.” Stephanie explained, making Daryl flinch and Jarah shudder.  
  
“So basically they're gonna cut her open like a Thanksgiving Turkey? Any way to prevent that?” Daryl felt the strong urge to throttle that woman just so she would stop smiling. It pissed him off to no end.  
  
“The main thing you wanna do is increase the elasticity of the perineal muscle. That can be achieved by daily massages, but it's still a little early for that. I usually recommend starting when the mother is about 32 or 33 weeks pregnant. So we can revisit that later. What you can and should do Jarah is pelvic floor exercises. The more you practice those, the better your chances at being able to relax your muscles during the second stage of labor. The best thing for you to do is to be active. Take walks outside, especially once you're getting closer to your due date, try to get your pelvic area as flexible as possible. Squats are great for that, try to kneel a lot, perch on an exercise ball as much as possible. You want to build up those leg muscles. It will get harder and more exhausting, I know that, but trust me in the end, you'll be grateful. Every bit of relaxation you can achieve during those contractions will be a life-saver, because there will come a point where you want to jump out the window just to have all that agony end.”  
  
“Man, you are a ray of sunshine aren't you? I thought you were supposed to calm her down. You're fucking scaring her with all that risk and pain shit!”  
  
“Daryl, would you calm down? She is doing the right thing, I have to know those things. I don't want any surprises. I need to be somewhat in control when shit gets real.” Jarah squeezed his hand a little harder, he was getting out of line. He didn't care, but she'd made a good point. Control. That was what was bothering him about the whole thing. He felt like he didn't have any control at all over what was going to happen and he didn't deal well with that. It made him feel helpless and he hated it. He needed to know what he could do to help and to gain back at least some control.  
  
“Sorry!” he mumbled after rubbing his hand through his face. “Okay facts on the table, lady! What can I do to make sure she won't need to get any of those shitty procedures you talked about?”  
  
“You can help by keeping her active. Take walks with her, you can help her with some stretching exercises, you can help her with the massages later if you're not squeamish. Keep an eye on her, make sure she drinks plenty of fluids, eats right and hey, sex also provides great exercise all the while keeping both of you happy and relaxed.” Daryl blushed hard and quickly looked down, but he also felt relief. There were things he could do to help and help he would, whether she liked it or not.  
  
Jarah send him down for a smoke while she discussed writing a birth plan with Stephanie. He'd been reluctant to leave, but his craving for nicotine and a breather ultimately won. Once the doula was gone, he and Jarah would have a lot of shit to talk about. He didn't even know where to start. Well, actually he did, he would tell her to look for another doula, this one just rubbed him the wrong way and he always trusted his instincts. He wanted someone older and with more experience for Jarah, than that girl with that irritatingly stupid smile. Someone who didn't scare the crap out of him with their horror stories. He had seen some shit in his life, he wasn't squeamish, as she had put it, but he was sure he would have nightmares tonight about vaginas being cut open and Jarah jumping out the window all the while screaming in pain. Good Lord, he felt like chain-smoking. And to top it all off, Jarah didn't want him to even be there when it happened. He didn't know how to feel about that.  
  
He was on his third cigarette when Stephanie Thorne exited the building and walked by him, that stupid grin still plastered on her face.  
  
“It was nice meeting you, Daryl. I'll see you around!”  
  
'Pfff, right! No way in hell!' he didn't say it out loud, he just gave her one of his trademark nods, this time it being a farewell nod. He put out his smoke and went back upstairs.  
  
“I don't like her!” he announced as soon as he had shut the door to Jarah's apartment.  
  
“That's okay, you don't have to like her. I do!” Jarah remarked.  
  
“She ain't good at her job! We should look for someone else!”  
  
“We? I think we really gotta talk about something. You want a drink?”  
  
“Nah, gotta take you somewhere later. Found a house for ya!”  
  
“A house?” Jarah was stunned.”Daryl, I can't afford a house! I can barely afford this place!”  
  
“Wouldn't show it to you if you wouldn't be able to afford it. Rent's pretty low. I know the son of the owner. They're good people. Better neighborhood, close to my place. It's only 150 dollars a month more than this mouse hole.”  
  
“How do you know how much rent I'm paying?”  
  
“Asked the landlord, he was around today to check the progress. Said I might be interested in renting. That fucker's ripping you off, you know?”  
  
“I know, but I had nowhere else to go.”  
  
“Now you do! 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, fenced-in backyard and all that shit. It's on Oakview Road, like right on the PATH trail. Good for taking walks, like you're supposed to do. It's vacant, if you want it we can move you in on the first!”  
  
“Seriously? Wow,... but Daryl, that's asking too much. I can't ask you to help me move... I think there is some stuff we should really talk about right now, before we talk about anything else.” Jarah felt overwhelmed and it scared the living daylights out of her. It felt like Jackson all over again in that moment.  
  
“'Kay, talk then, 'cause right now I get the impression that you don't really want me to stick around all that much!”  
  
“That's not it! Daryl, we've been seeing each other a week. A fucking WEEK. Not a month, not a year, it's been 7 days. I know it feels longer, but that's 'cause we just started wearin the famous rose-colored glasses. We don't know what's going to happen. It is way too early to make decisions like whether or not you'll be in the delivery room with me, 'cause fact is, you might not even be around anymore and not because I don't want you to, but because you might not want to anymore. Right now it's all fun and games. We go out, we make out, we have a good time getting to know each other, but in three months shit's seriously gonna change, Daryl. I am having a baby. There won't be time for date nights, we might not even get a night in front of the TV for a long time. I will be tired and I will be pissed off because I'll have to deal with my ex and his freaking family. I am pretty sure I won't be much fun to be around anymore when all that happens. Did you know that I can't have sex for six weeks after giving birth? Not that I'd even want to have it probably, but still... And you are not the baby's father,... what I am trying to say is, you won't get anything out of this relationship. There is really no reason for you to stick around after the fun is over.” Jarah tried her best to explain what the voices in her head kept telling her over and over again and she knew it might not come out right, but she didn't know a better way to say it.  
  
“So what are you telling me? I'm just the distraction? Your last hurrah? Your last opportunity to have some fun before real life starts? So what? As soon as his due date rolls around you're gonna dump me just like you did to your ex?” Daryl was pacing in front of the couch, wildly gesturing with his arms and hands while his voice rose in volume with every word.  
  
“NO! Just let me explain! And stop yelling at me. Please? Just sit down and listen!” She waited for him to sit back down and tried to think of how to explain it.  
  
“I like you, Daryl. I really do, a lot and I feel like we could make it work, you know.”  
  
“Didn't sound like it a minute ago!”  
  
“Just let me finish, please? The truth is, I'm scared. My mind keeps telling me over and over that you are gonna run as soon as my baby is born. And I would understand if you did.”  
  
“Not gonna run!” Daryl interrupted her yet again. He was downright insulted that she thought he was gonna run as soon as things got a little tough.  
  
“But you don't know that Daryl! You think that now, but in three months, things might be different. You'll realize that, like I said, you are getting nothing out of this relationship. I get you, a sweet, selfless, cute as fuck guy, but what do you get? Stressed-out single mother, who doesn't even have the time to take a shower or brush her hair during the first couple of weeks of her baby's life? That's not fair to you! You deserve so much better. And I need you to be completely aware of that. Right now things are going great, but it's not gonna stay this happy pony ride for long. That's why I can't allow myself to plan like you will be there. And that's why I can't take you up on your offer to help me move. I can't have you doing all these things for me and then in the end you don't get anything in return. Do you get what I'm saying? You are not my last hurrah, I am not using you, Daryl. I like what is happening between us and I wish I could just tell those voices in my head to shut up and enjoy what's going on, but I'm not doing myself any favors if I do that. I realized that today. I'd like to keep seeing you, I really do, but I need you to take some time and think about what I said. You need to think about what you want. Try to imagine what life is going to be like once Jamie is here and we decide to try to make it work. And don't sugar coat it. You need to find out whether you'll be okay with the family lifestyle or not. And even then there is no guarantee. Maybe in four weeks from now on we don't get along anymore or something. Anything could happen. That is why I have to plan this birth like I'll be on my own. I would love for you to be there, don't get me wrong, but things might just not turn out that way. It's only been a week.” Jarah felt drained and she didn't know what else to say. She was scared of letting herself develop feelings for him, because she already knew that Daryl had the ability to really hurt her, just like she had hurt Jackson. She liked him so much already.  
  
Daryl was quiet while he tried to process what she'd said. He understood where she was coming from, still he was disappointed and angry. Not really at her, a little maybe for not trusting him enough to know what he was getting into, but he realized that they barely knew each other. She didn't know that he was someone who tended to think things through and was always aware of what he was doing, so how could he expect her to trust him when he said he wasn't gonna run? He would just have to show her. He could do that, he was a man of action. She'd just have to give him some time.  
  
“Can't work if you're already giving up!” He spoke up after a couple of minutes. “All I'm gonna ask of you is a chance. Just one. It's all I need! I'll think about what you said, but only if ya promise me something in return.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Trust me. Don't question anything I do or wanna do and let me help. Think you can do that?”  
  
“Yeah, I think I can!” It would be tough for her, she had a lot to lose, but sometimes you just had to take a leap.  
  
“Good, then let's go look at your new house!” he got up and got a bottle of water from the fridge, so she could stay hydrated. The doula had told him to make sure that she drank lots of water and he wanted to take her for a walk after they had looked at the house. With his free hand he grabbed one of hers and dragged her out of her apartment and down to his truck.  
  
##### ###### ######## ###### ####### ######### #####  
  
“Okay, where's the catch?” Jarah and Daryl had looked around the house. Daryl already knew what it looked like, he'd looked at it first during his lunch hour. That's why he hadn't been able to go see her. He wanted her out of the apartment as soon as possible. He lived right around the corner. One call and he would be here within a couple of minutes. Also they needed to get the nursery ready. The sooner the better.  
  
“There's no catch.”  
  
“Come on, Daryl. Seriously? It's a nice house, it's got fucking everything, bathtub AND shower, laundry pantry with a washer and dryer... everything we need and for almost the same rent as my apartment? There's got to be a catch!” Jarah just couldn't believe it. It was perfect. She didn't want to go back to her apartment, she would prefer sleeping on the floor in this nice house.  
  
“I'm telling you, there's no catch, girl! I know the owners. Been friends with their son for years. They're legit. And I told ya, your landlord is ripping you off. Why do ya think he can pay for all this remodeling we're doin'? 'Cause he's stealing your money! So ya gonna take it?” Daryl knew the answer was yes, he could see it in her eyes. They were damn near glowing and the way she let her fingers glide along the cool surface of the wall oven told him the rest.  
  
“I would love to, but I have three months on my lease left. Can't afford to pay double.”  
  
“You won't have to. Have you ever read the terms of your lease?”  
  
“Apparently not, why?”  
  
“In case of early termination the landlord will just keep your security deposit. That's money you wouldn't have anyway if you would stay there. So you won't miss it.”  
  
“How the fuck do you know all this?” Jarah was just completely blown away.  
  
“I know how to ask the right questions!” he grinned a little, proud that he had pretty much already taken care of everything.  
  
“You're a miracle worker!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him sweetly. “So I could seriously move in... Jesus fucking Christ... in ten days??? How are we gonna pull that off?”  
  
“Don't worry about that. Only thing you have to do is pack the boxes, starting tomorrow morning and tell me if you want anything painted in another color.”  
  
“Daryl no, I can't ask you to-”  
  
“What did I fucking ask you to do girl?” Daryl quickly cut her off before she started telling him how she couldn't accept his help.  
  
“Not to question you, sorry. Shutting up now!”  
  
“Good!” He leaned down and kissed her hard. “Now come on, let's tell good old Mr. Harris that you'll take it!”  
  
###### ######## ####### #### ####### #######  
  
“Okay, this is how it's gonna go down. You start packing boxes tomorrow. All the non-essentials. I'll load them into my truck after work and take them over to the house. I'll get you paint samples from work and you'll tell me what you want and Merle can make himself useful and paint the rooms so everything airs out til you move in. Don't need you inhaling paint fumes. On the 30th we move the rest of your stuff. Your friend would help, too right?” Daryl explained his game plan for getting Jarah into the new house. He'd already come up with everything earlier. This way it would be a gradual move and she wouldn't have to take care of anything except for packing the stuff she wouldn't need for the next week and a half.  
  
“Yeah, of course if she's off work it won't be a problem.” If Natalie had to work there was no way Jarah was gonna bother her with helping her move after work. Her tasks at the nursing home were backbreaking enough.  
  
“Alright, if we don't get everything done in one day, you'll stay with me overnight. Not a problem!”  
  
“I could stay with Nat...”  
  
“Yeah? She live right around the corner? Easier if you stay with me girl. What? Don't want to?” Daryl looked at her a challenging smirk on his face.  
  
“I would love to... Still can't believe that you're doing all this. That you found me a friggin' house for God's sakes!”  
  
“You were in luck, that place rents out fast. Last tenant just moved out because he got transferred. Overheard Merle talking to Jimmy Harris over the weekend, heard they were looking for a new tenant, thought it would be great for you.” Daryl was glad to have her living closer soon. The neighborhood was also much safer than the one she was living in now. He'd be able to sleep much better.  
  
“It's really beautiful here. This trail is awesome. I can take my baby for walks here as well. I really like it!” They just had to cross the street to access the PATH trail, it was perfect.  
  
“Once you live here, we'll do this every night until you give birth. Here, have some water. How are you feeling? Ribs still hurt?” Daryl went into birth coach-mode.  
  
“Yeah, a little. It doesn't really hurt, it's just uncomfortable.” Jarah pressed on her ribs where she felt all achey and tried to move her torso around a bit to see if she could relieve the discomfort a little that way.  
  
“I'll take you back soon and see what I can do about it!” Daryl promised and squeezed her hand. Yes, Daryl Dixon was holding her hand in public and he was damn proud about it. Every single time some guy passed them and looked at Jarah he grinned to himself, thinking 'Yeah dude, you keep looking, but I'm the one that's taking her home!'  
  
“You're really sweet. I don't deserve you!” Jarah smiled her big smile for him while pulling him closer by tugging on his hand and then placing a little kiss on his biceps.  
  
“Just remember that for when I fuck up!” he smirked and looked around if anyone was looking before he stole a kiss from her. Handholding in public was okay, but to be able to kiss her with people watching would take some more time.  
  
###### ######### ####### ####### ########## #######  
  
Back at Jarah's apartment Daryl used the bathroom, while Jarah fixed them something for dinner. His eyes fell on a bottle of Natural Stretch Mark Oil that she had left by the sink and an idea began to form in his head. He shoved the bottle into the back pocket of his dark jeans and went to join her in the kitchen.  
  
“What's for dinner?” He looked over her shoulder to see what was in the pan.  
  
“Burgers and fries!” She looked at him and laughed when she saw his unhappy expression. “What? Don't like it?”  
  
“Burgers belong on a grill, girl! Not in a pan!”  
  
“Well, I don't have a grill, so you'll just have to get over it or just eat the fries!”  
  
“Maybe we should order something. Aren't you supposed to eat healthier, too?”  
  
“You know, I liked you better before you turned into a freaking doula!”  
  
“Smartass!” he smirked and nudged her with his shoulder!  
  
“Look who's talking! So no to the burgers?”  
  
“Definite no!” He knew he might have been a bit out of line, but he'd sworn to himself that he'd personally make sure that she was staying healthy and would do anything he could to help her try to prevent the shitty pregnancy and birth complications.  
  
Jarah relented and after a little argument she was able to convince him to order pizza and also a big salad for her. Life was all about compromises and also, as soon as Nat was back and would hear him telling her what she should eat, Nat would rip him a new one and that was something Jarah would just love to see.  
  
After dinner he pulled the bottle of oil from his pants and held it up to show it to her.  
  
“I wanna use this, maybe it helps getting rid of the discomfort. Think it would work?” She didn't, but she SO didn't care. Having his wonderful hands rub oil all over her belly and sides, please, she wasn't stupid enough to pass that up.  
  
“It's worth a try! And even if it doesn't work, you'll still be fighting stretch marks, so it's a win-win kinda deal. Uumm, but I'd have to take my shirt off...”  
  
Damn, he hadn't even thought about that. Having her leaning against him in just her bra, with those gorgeous pregnancy boobs so close to his hands? He was sure to get a hard-on. Or blue balls. Or even both.  
  
He didn't respond to what she said, instead he kicked his boots off, like he did last night and scooted back into the corner of the couch, which was quickly turning into HIS corner of the couch.  
  
Jarah hesitated for a short moment. Yes she wanted him and while she felt good about her body in general these days, she still felt a little self-conscious about baring her round belly to his eyes for the first time. Seeing it wrapped up in cute little outfit was still different than seeing it bare, maybe he wouldn't like it. She knew, that one day he'd see it anyway and it will be even bigger the further along she got, this was just a little hurdle she had to get over once, so with a light blush covering her cheeks, she lifted her black tunic-style maternity top and pulled it over her head before she let it drop from her hand to the floor.  
  
She didn't have anything to worry about. To Daryl there was nothing in this world that would make her less beautiful. He tried not to, but it was a lost cause and his eyes were glued to her soft, round breasts and the dark purple lace that was holding them prisoner. His mouth was watering and his hands were itching to touch, but for now he'd be content with the view he'd get as soon as Jarah would be settled against his chest.  
  
“Show me where it hurts!” his voice was in her ear again and she was mildly embarrassed by the now very visible goosebumps he made break out on her skin. Daryl watched her point towards her ribcage while he unscrewed the bottle. “Alright, let's see if we can make it better!”  
  
Jarah settled her back against his chest more comfortably and moved her arms up to loosely rest them wrapped behind his neck, giving him full access to her upper body. He cupped his left hand to the left side of her belly while he poured some oil on her skin so it wouldn't drop on the couch or on his leg. When he was satisfied with the amount that was covering her belly he put the bottle to the side and started spreading the oil all over her warm and soft skin. Jarah watched his hands slide over her for a moment, it looked pretty damn good and it felt even better. He wasn't using any pressure, he was just gently smoothing his hands over the curve of her belly, gently stroking and rubbing the oil into her skin.  
  
He smiled a little when he felt the now all too familiar thumping against his hands.  
  
“Hey little fella, you like that, huh? How's it feel for momma? Any better?”  
  
“Yeah, I think it helps a little. Feels nice!” And it really did. He didn't make the pain go away, but the gentle physical contact was really soothing and it made her relax and thus the discomfort eased up a little. She let her eyes fall shut, drowning out everything else around her and let herself just feel Daryl's warm calloused hands caress her. Who would have thought that he could be as gentle just as much as he could be rough?  
  
For the first time she didn't feel like jumping his bones. She was enjoying this way too much. The whole thing was creating a level of intimacy she had never shared with her ex-husband and it felt so much more important than having sex. She felt like they were bonding on a deeper level than that right now and the beautiful thing she didn't know was, that Daryl felt the same. He didn't know how to describe it, but he felt something happening. He still enjoyed the view he had of her boobs, but he didn't feel any urgency to explore them with his hands and mouth like he had when she had taken off her top.  
  
He nuzzled her ear and took his hands off her belly, but only to grab her wrists that were still resting at the back of his neck, and gently rub and massage his hands all the way from her wrists down to her armpits and back down her sides to the front of her belly. It felt heavenly and Jarah kept sighing and moaning ever so quietly in delight and Daryl really enjoyed making her feel this good.  
  
He kept doing it for almost half an hour until he felt her getting heavier against his chest. She was starting to drift into sleep. She barely noticed him sitting up with her and carefully getting out from behind her so he could lift her into his arms and carry her to the bedroom. He carefully laid her down and covered her with a blanket. He didn't kiss her, for some odd reason he thought it might wake her up, even though carrying her over hadn't even roused her.  
  
He went back into the living room to put on his boots and grabbed an orange Post-It and a pen and scribbled down a note for her before he left. In the morning she would find an orange piece of paper stuck to her fridge that read  
  
Don't forget to start packing!  
We're taking a walk during lunch.  
Be ready.  
  
D.  
  
############ ####### ######### ######## #######


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
The week practically flew by, still Jarah couldn't wait for the move to be over and done with. Between packing, organizing, making necessary phone calls, having doctors appointments and taking her walks with Daryl, she was just exhausted at night. They didn't have much time to spend together except for about 1-2 hours cuddle and make out time each night on the sofa before Jarah would fight to keep her eyes open. It sucked, but they both knew that it would be worth it. Even Merle had been good and had helped out by painting the rooms, albeit VERY begrudgingly. Jarah sending food home with Daryl every night for the brothers had lifted Merle's spirits a little bit, though. Or it was the paint fumes he spent inhaling all afternoon. Daryl wasn't sure which of the two possibilities made him mellow out, he was just glad that Merle had stopped complaining by Wednesday night. The fact was, that Merle had just realized that this thing with Jarah was happening, no matter how he felt about it and no matter what he said, so for right now he would just back off and look how it would work out.  
  
Now it was Friday and Daryl was working with Joey in an apartment down the hall from Jarah, renewing the floors when a young blonde woman showed up in the doorway and studied the both of them. Daryl just shot her an irritated look and turned his back on her while Joey walked towards her with a smile. She was cute, had a great rack, nice curvy hips and she was tiny enough to probably be able to suck him off without having to bend down. He wouldn't let that opportunity go to waste.  
  
“Can I help you with something?” he towered in front of her, giving her his best boy band,, smile.  
  
The woman kept studying him, before she shook her head and muttered a 'no, no way', but more to herself than to him. Then she bend her torso to the side to look past him.  
  
“Hey, you Daryl?” she called out towards the other man.  
  
Joey frowned and huffed. “Damn Dixon, what's with you getting all the hot chicks?”  
  
Daryl turned around with a scowl, but he didn't make a move to go towards the woman.  
  
“And who the hell are you?” he wondered who she was and why on earth she would know is name.  
  
“Guess I got the right one. I'm Natalie. Jarah's friend?!” Natalie had to suppress a smirk when she saw Daryl's eyes widen. “Come with me!”  
  
Daryl panicked a little. He felt like he was fucking 13 years old and was meeting the parents AND the older brothers. Natalie was the most important person in Jarah's life right now. He had to get along with her, he knew that much. He took off his work gloves and pushed them into his back pocket while he followed her out of the apartment.  
  
“So, I finally get to meet you. Heard a lot about you already!” she smiled, but Daryl remained wary.  
  
“Same here,... she know you're here?”  
  
“No, wanted to have a little chat with you first. Wanted to thank you actually!”  
  
“Really? Why?” Daryl was surprised, he didn't think she would start off that way.  
  
“Well you're taking care of her, even got her out of this hell hole. You're doing a lot for her, yet you don't expect anything in return... no bedroom favors, if you know what I mean.” She made Daryl blush and look at everything around him but her, making her smirk. Daryl wasn't her type, but she could see what Jarah liked about him. His behavior totally contradicted with his looks and it was kind of cute.  
  
“Listen. I'm not here to give you the third degree or anything. Okay, maybe a little. From what I hear, you're a good guy, your actions say that you're a good guy, but I don't know if you know, how a relationship between two best friends work. We'll be seeing each other a lot Daryl and trust me when I say, that I will know EVERYTHING about you. Every nice thing you did, but also every time you fucked up. And once those fuck ups outweigh the nice things I will be there to staple your ballsack to your kneecaps with my stilettos. I know what she told you, how about you should decide whether or not you wanna stick around after the baby's here? Really think about that hard, Daryl. Once you make a decision, I expect you to stick to it, whatever it will be, there is no going back! Got it?”  
  
“Yes ma'am!” Daryl rasped out. Man to him that girl was scarier than any daddy-in-law. Daryl knew that Jarah hadn't been lying. This girl would probably be able to handle someone like Merle. She looked like a little angel, but damn she was intense.  
  
“Good! Now lighten up, so far you're doing great! How is she doing? Seen her today yet?”  
  
“Yeah, went outside with her earlier. Doin' good. Just tired.”  
  
“That's to be expected. Moving sucks. Moving while being pregnant probably even more so. Well, I'll go see her now. Help her pack a little. I'm sure I'll see you later.”  
  
“Nah, guess you two wanna talk or something. I'll leave ya be.”  
  
“No, we're good. We won't mind! You and I'll have to get used to each other anyway!” She winked and slapped her little hand against his arm twice, before she left. Daryl really didn't know what to make of her yet, but they both cared about Jarah, they had some common ground there.  
  
##### ###### ##### ####### ##### ####### #####  
  
Jarah couldn't help it, her hormones were completely in control, so she actually cried a little when she wrapped her arms around her best friend. She was so happy to have her back.  
  
She got some iced lattes from the kitchen and plopped down on the couch with her best friend, eying her suspiciously because she had this mischievous smile on her face.  
  
“What?” Jarah asked with a wary tone.  
  
“So, I just met Daryl...”  
  
“WHAT??? How did you just meet Daryl? You don't even know what he looks like. And he doesn't know what you look like!”  
  
“It was easy, I know your type. Just had to look for the guy with the best arms who looked the most like a mean, wild animal! You, my friend, have a serious thing for scowls! First Jackson who always looked pissed off and now Daryl!”  
  
“I like the guys who look like bad boys, what can I say? Wait, what are you saying? You actually looked for him? Oh dear Lord Natty, what did you do?”  
  
“Nothing, just had a little chat with him about how we'd see each other a lot now and will have to get used to being around each other,... and then I might have threatened to destroy his nuts should he ever hurt you.” she shrugged nonchalantly, making Jarah gasp in horror.  
  
“Natalie Marie Wooderson, you can't do that! At least not right from the start! He's painfully shy! He's just coming out of his shell. Great, you probably made him go back and hide in it!”  
  
“Nonsense. He's not a teenager, he understands! He got the message. He's gonna come by later. I made sure of it. He wanted to give us some space to talk, nice enough of him, but I wanna see him in action, around you!”  
  
“Well, there won't be much to see, I can tell you that now. We are very similar in that area! No PDA!”  
  
“Not even with you all horny? Boring! Can't believe you haven't done it yet. It's been almost two weeks. You're doing real good on this one!”  
  
“Yeah, I know. It feels good. I feel like this is the way it is supposed to be, you know? We're being intimate, but then again we're not. It's another level of intimacy somehow.” Jarah tried to explain, but just couldn't.  
  
“I think I know what you mean. You're getting to know each other first before you 'get to know each other' between the sheets. You're doing great.”  
  
“Yeah, we're building some trust. It's good. Besides, I am just way too tired this week with all the stuff I have to do, but I still want him so fucking bad. Every kind of physical contact we can get is great right now. I could spend hours just being in those arms and looking at his face. He is so freaking hot, it's crazy!”  
  
“He's got a nice build, I agree, but the rest? Not really my thing. He's got weird squinty eyes!”  
  
“Shut up! You've got weird squinty eyes!” Jarah threw a pillow at her with a laugh. “He's got beautiful eyes. So blue. And that mouth. And that cute little smile! He's got the best smile. It's rare, but so freaking awesome. Man, that fucking perfect face, how can you not like it?”  
  
“Well, I'm not falling for the guy, for starters. You clearly are!”  
  
“I'm trying not to... I'm scared.” Jarah admitted quietly while she absentmindedly played with the straw she used to drink her latte with.  
  
“It's real this time, hm? Then I hate to tell you this, but trying not to fall for him won't work at all. It'll happen anyway. We can influence our thoughts, be we can't influence our feelings”  
  
“I'm scared of losing what we have. Is that what it feels like when you really like someone? If so, I don't like it.”  
  
“It does. There's always this little voice that tells you that he could just leave you. That he'll start liking somebody else. It's part of the game, Jar-Jar. With Jackson you really didn't care. There was only one way for him to hurt you, which he did, but not so much that it destroyed you, because you just didn't love him. He could have left you any day of the week and you would have been completely fine. I guess that's not the case with Daryl, huh?”  
  
“No, it's not. I'm scared that I'm getting punished for leaving Jackson like that. That I'll fall in love and then Daryl decides this whole thing isn't working for him and leaves the way I did with Jax.”  
  
“You're not getting punished. You did the right thing. The whole thing was a little unfortunate and yes you did hurt him a lot, but he wasn't all that innocent either. Remember that. Tell you what, we'll both just close our eyes and take a leap of faith! I think Daryl knows that he best pulls away now before this goes any further in case he thinks it won't work for him. But if anything he seems to be doing even more for you now, which makes me think he's not going anywhere. So YOU have to start to trust and let go of your fear and let yourself fall for him, cause fighting it won't help anyway. It'll just make your life harder, so don't. Trust and enjoy. And I'll trust him to treat you right.”  
  
“He does.” Jarah smirked internally. She liked the way Daryl cared, his bossy side was kinda cute. She really couldn't wait to see what Nat would say about that. Nat didn't like men telling her what to do. “So, trust and enjoy, hm? Easier said than done, Natty. You know I like my control!”  
  
“Yeah and seriously girl, you gotta work on that! That's playing a big part in why you hate sex!” Natalie laughed at the horrified expression on Jarah's face.  
  
“I don't hate sex! Are you crazy? I've been telling you for two weeks that I want to ride that cowboy out there like a fucking mechanical bull! How can you even think that I hate sex?”  
  
“Okay maybe you don't hate it, but you can't enjoy it as much as others because you focus on being in control too much. Don't get all huffy, you once told me that you can't even fantasize! That you can't combine fantasizing and getting yourself off. That it's either one or the other.”  
  
“But that doesn't have anything to do with me wanting to have control over things! It's because I can't focus. As soon as I try to let myself drift into a fantasy I just get distracted. I start thinking about some sexy time with Daryl and like three minutes later I end up planning next weeks grocery list and that doesn't get things going between my legs. So I either have to fully focus on a fantasy with all I got or I have to focus fully on my body and getting myself off. It's not about control!”  
  
“Oh, but it is Jarah! You get stuck in your head. I've seen it happening. You just can't let go! It IS a control issue. You just can't let yourself go. Maybe it's because you always had to be in control of everything in your life all by yourself. You didn't have a real partner to share things with. I really hope for you that your 'cowboy' out there will be able to get you to let go of that precious control of yours. It's so much more fun that way.”  
  
“Well in some ways he already is taking control,... but in the bedroom? He might not be able to. Oh, that's right I haven't told you about my little talk with his brother, yet! Apparently Daryl is not very experienced. His brother said he hasn't been with a lot of girls and that I had to cut him some slack in the bedroom.”  
  
“Really? That guy? Hm, guess looks really can be deceiving. He looks like an animal. Like he'd just pounce on you and eat you up and give you a good roll in the sack.”  
  
“I don't know. He's a great kisser. It was a little awkward at first, but it gets better and better every day! And he does take charge more every day and I let him for a little while.”  
  
“Well that's good. Nothing to worry about then. I'm sure that will translate into the sex as well. And hey, being inexperienced can be a good thing. You're both on almost the same level, it's not intimidating! It's kinda exciting, isn't it? Even if he won't know what to do with you, YOU know what you like and you can show him and he can show you what he likes. That's hot!”  
  
“You mean like SHOW him? Like touching myself in front of him??? Good God, Natalie! I don't know if I will ever have the confidence to do that! You know I'm not a prude, but doing that? Geez, I don't know.” Jarah was blushing hard, completely mortified just thinking about it.  
  
“Just wait til you see how turned on it gets him. God Jarah, I really feel for you sweetie. I just realized, that you never had good sex with someone you loved and trusted. If those feelings are there, it's really not a big deal. You won't even think twice about it. There really shouldn't be any embarrassment between partners in bed. You should be able to talk about what you want. I had that with Mike. It was amazing. We experimented so much, it was awesome. I really want that for you, sweetie.”  
  
“Mike was so great. I miss having him around! He was so chill and so content.” Jarah had really liked Natalie's last partner and was really sad when they had decided to call it quits. He'd always been so easy-going and fun to be around and he'd made Nat really happy. She'd had a constant smile on her face for months.  
  
“Yeah well, we wanted different things. That is kind of my curse. I am into older guys and by the time things get real and I want a family, they feel they are past that or they already have a family. Guess I'll have to accept that I probably won't have children of my own. It seems like for me it's either going to be a happy relationship without kids or being a single mother and I don't think I am strong enough to be a single mother.”  
  
“You would be, you'd have me, just like I have you!” Jarah disagreed strongly. Natalie would be amazing, she had a great family and thus an amazing support system. She would do a great job.  
  
“It's not the same. You are way more independent than I will ever be. I still call my mom when I'm sick! I need people around, you don't. You've always been fine on your own.”  
  
“Always had to be.” Jarah sighed regretfully, her mind already starting to wander off, back to her past.  
  
“Have you told Daryl about THAT part of your childhood?” Natalie quickly tore her out of her own head before Jarah had the chance to space out completely.  
  
“No, I don't feel it's time, yet. Don't know if he even has to know. Jackson knew and he still did what he did.”  
  
“Yeah, he used it against you. He chose the worst way to show you that he owned you. I swear if I ever see him again he will be in a world of pain. Motherfucker. Spoiled little rich boy, nothing but a selfish bastard.”  
  
“Stop! Please, let's just not talk about him.” Thinking about Jackson always gave her a headache, because she'd have to face him soon and she wasn't ready for it.  
  
“Okay, still I think you should tell Daryl eventually. Once he witnesses one of your nightmares you'll have to explain anyway.”  
  
“Yeah, maybe. Hey, how about we do some packing so Daryl will actually have something to take over to the house today?” Jarah got up and grabbed a box that was already waiting to be filled.  
  
“Okay, I get it. You don't wanna talk about it.” She took the box out of Jarah's hands and grinned. “Hey, can I torture your new boyfriend a little later? I wanna see him squirm again!”  
  
“Oh come on, haven't you tortured him enough earlier? Poor baby!”  
  
“Oh please, I wanna hear the reasoning behind the whole you staying with HIM instead of ME in case he won't be able to set up your bed in time or whatever. I want him to admit that he wants to go cave man on you and drag you into his cave and his bed. Probably needs the image of you laying in his bed and standing in his shower for his private jerk-off-time.”  
  
Jarah burst out laughing, shoving her against the shoulder. “You're terrible! Leave him be, he is so sweet and it's not like I wouldn't want to spend a night with him even thought it's sleep only. I don't think it's gonna happen anyway, I don't have a lot of stuff to set up anyway.”  
  
“Oh yes you do! I have a surprise!” Natalie was beaming, she loved being able to help her best friend out. “Now that Grandpa isn't around anymore, Grandma doesn't want to stay in that house by herself anymore. She already chose a great place to stay a couple of weeks back aaaaaand she'll only take a couple of things with her, which means you get first pick at everything she no longer needs. Furniture, TVs, everything. My parents and I talked about it, we already have everything we need, we'll just keep some jewelry and little stuff like that, but the big stuff like the dining table and the chairs and all that stuff, you can have whatever you want.”  
  
“Oh my God, are you serious? This is really happening?” Tears started to pool in Jarah's eyes again.  
  
“Well, can't let you live in a damn near empty house, now can we? Just gotta get a moving van and go pick it up. So Daryl might actually have been right and we won't be able to get everything done on time.  
  
“Hm, true. Damn, we would have to drive down there and pick up the stuff this weekend. So tomorrow or Sunday...” Jarah muttered, already planning out how to do it in her head.  
  
“Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too. My Dad and some of his colleagues would be there to help and load the stuff in the truck, but I guess once we're back here we're gonna need Daryl and maybe he's got a friend or two who could help out.”  
  
“Merle, his brother maybe... Okay, we shouldn't waste any more time then. I'll call some companies who rent out those vans.” Jarah grabbed her phone to look online for local companies she could call, while Natalie started packing some kitchen stuff that wasn't needed until next week.  
  
###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### #######  
  
Daryl came in after work and carried the boxes down to the truck. It was just two, they hadn't gotten done too much. They got distracted talking and planning their trip. When he got back up he noticed Jarah taking a sip from her favorite glass she used for her iced lattes.  
  
“How much coffee you had today?” The ever-present scowl on his face deepening.  
  
“Don't know, three of these I guess.” Jarah hadn't kept count so she could only guess.  
  
“Can't have that much coffee, girl! Doesn't help your condition!” Daryl grumbled. Jarah's addiction to coffee was his main concern. He had a hard time keeping her away from it.  
  
“It's not coffee, it's made with espresso!”  
  
“You fucking kidding me? That's even worse! You gotta watch that shit!”  
  
“Hey, who are you? The coffee police? Back off!” Natalie spoke up. A little coffee didn't hurt during a healthy pregnancy and she was sure Jarah was being careful with it.  
  
“Don't you tell me to back off, you weren't here when that birth witch told her horror stories about what could happen to her! You want her to have a stroke or something?” Daryl got upset and didn't care in that moment that Natalie might cut his balls off for yelling at her.  
  
“A stroke? What the hell are you talking about? What's going on?” Nat looked at Jarah questioningly.  
  
“Ummm,... I didn't want to worry you with everything that was going on, so I didn't tell you. My blood pressure is pretty high... could get preeclampsia.” Jarah confessed, a guilty expression on her face.  
  
“And you keep gulping this shit down? Are you kidding me? Jarah that is seriously not funny, I'm gonna side with Daryl on that one! One coffee is okay, but not three. With high blood pressure you should probably stay away from it altogether.” Nat wasn't mad that Jarah hadn't told her, she was just mad that she would disregard her health like that.  
  
“I'm sorry, you guys are right. I just got distracted today, alright? Won't happen again.”  
  
“It better not!” Daryl grumbled and made his way past her towards the bathroom. He might have been a little unhappy with her, but he still gave her hand a quick squeeze, showing her that they were okay.  
  
“Awww, he really won't kiss you with me around, will he?” Natalie smirked as soon as she heard the bathroom door lock. “He is right though, you have to take good care of yourself, for your son's sake. Okay? Promise me.”  
  
“Promise. Don't worry, when he is around Daryl makes sure that I don't eat junk food or drink soda and all that stuff. Probably already checked my shopping list for next week before I send it off.” Jarah grumbled a bit, but this time she didn't get any sympathy from her best friend.  
  
“Good. In this case it's good. I would do it myself but he seems to have things under control here. Maybe I should give him the list of forbidden foods during pregnancy I still have from when my sister had her daughter.”  
  
“Don't you dare! He'd get right on that and go through every cupboard to make sure nothing on that list is inside this apartment.” Jarah laughed, she was perfectly able to picture Daryl going through the kitchen cabinets like a bloodhound, trying to find unhealthy things she wasn't allowed to eat.  
  
“That would kind of be the point! Don't look at me like that, if the circumstances were different I'd tell him where to shove his no-coffee-policy, but in this case you should listen to him. He's got my approval, not just on the food thing.” Natalie smiled and Jarah grabbed her and hugged her hard, understanding what she meant. She liked him. That was very, very good.  
  
Jarah's phone rang, just when Daryl came out of the bathroom. Natalie took that opportunity to talk to Daryl alone for as long as she could. There was something he needed to know and she assumed that it was one of the things Jarah hadn't told him about yet.  
  
“Hey listen, it's good what you are doing, keeping an eye on what she eats and stuff, but don't go overboard okay? I can't explain the whole story now, but her father had a thing about her gaining weight and forbid her from having her favorite things for a long time. If you want her to stay with you, don't turn into her father. Don't forbid her from having stuff. She can have a cupcake, she can have chocolate or potato chips or whatever, it won't kill her. She is allowed to indulge a little, she is growing a person after all. Just as long as she doesn't keep eating junk food all day and every day, she'll be fine. Okay?”  
  
“'Kay. Just wanna help her out. That birth witch scared the crap out of me with those stories about inducing labor and cutting her up down there and everything. Won't let it happen.”  
  
“Birth witch? You mean the doula? Stephanie? She's great, I recommended her!” Natalie's sister had hired her and had been very happy with her. From the looks of it Daryl didn't feel the same.  
  
“Recommend someone else, then. She ain't any good. Don't think scaring mothers is part of her job description!”  
  
“Ah, he talking about Stephanie? Yeah, he hates her!” Jarah had come back after her phone conversation and had picked up on their topic.  
  
“She is not scaring mothers, Daryl. She is just telling the truth. Giving birth is often not that happy, blessed event as shown on TV, you know?” Natalie smirked, Daryl was really cute in his own way with his worrying. “A lot of shit goes down in the delivery room and I hate to tell you, but you can't control what's going to happen. Neither of you. Not even the best doctor in the world is able to anticipate what's going to happen. Stephanie is good at what she does, she just told you the facts, just like any other doula would. There is no changing the facts, Daryl. Things happen, but trust me women were build for this, it's gonna suck for a little while, but our girl will be just fine.”  
  
“Yeah, she's right. It's gonna be fine. But I'm still not excited about the sucky part. First thing I am going to check on that birth plan worksheet she gave me is 'Epidural? Yes, please!'”  
  
“Do I even wanna know what that is?” Daryl rubbed his hands through his face, this giving birth thing was just not getting any prettier.  
  
“Don't explain the procedure to him, Nat, I beg you! He's heard enough stories for this week.” Jarah clamped her hand over Natalie's mouth when she wanted to tell Daryl what it was and how it would be done.  
  
“Alright, alright. I'm leaving now anyway!” She smiled when she removed Jarah's hand from her face.  
  
“Oh you're not staying for dinner? Why not?”  
  
“Gonna give you two some space to say goodbye properly. You gotta make it last for two days. And I'm tired aaand we gotta get up early and get on the road. We'll have enough time to catch up then.” Natalie explained, already grabbing her handbag from the couch.  
  
“What is she talking about? Say goodbye for two days?” Daryl's brow was knit in confusion. They had stuff to do, they were gonna see each other.  
  
“Grandma Betty is moving into a nursing home now that Herb is gone and I get to pick out furniture for the house. We're driving down there with a moving van to pick it up tomorrow.” Jarah told him, sensing that he already didn't like the idea.  
  
“And where exactly is 'down there'?”  
  
“Mobile, Alabama.”  
  
“That's a five hour drive!” Daryl exclaimed. They could not be serious.  
  
“Six, sometimes.” Natalie shrugged and Jarah shot her a look that said 'not helping'.  
  
“I'm going! If you insist on spending six hours in a car, I'm sure as hell gonna be drivin'. Make sure you take breaks and everything.”  
  
“I can do that, too, Daryl! I am perfectly able to drive and I will make sure that we'll take enough breaks for her to move around a little.”  
  
“Nat is right! You've been working so much this whole week and this move is not even over yet. You need to take a breather and just rest tomorrow. Do something fun, sleep in, whatever. We'll be back on Sunday. Around noon probably. Then we could really use your help to get the stuff unloaded and I already hate to bother you with that.”  
  
“'Course I'll help. I'll get Merle to help, too. Just sucks.”  
  
“Well, I gotta go. I'll pick you up at seven, sweetie. I'll see ya on Sunday, Daryl!” Nat breezed out of the apartment, leaving Daryl and Jarah to work it out among themselves.  
  
“You're really killing me here, you know that?” Daryl wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer. Finally giving her a little kiss. He didn't like that she would be in Alabama for a whole day. So much could happen on the road, not to mention that he'd miss her.  
  
“I know, but it's free stuff and right now I can really use that. We both knew that moving week was going to suck.”  
  
“Yeah, guess so. Don't know what I'll do all day tomorrow.”  
  
“Rest, eat, watch TV, hang with your brother, go to the bar. Your friends gotta miss you! I know I would.”  
  
“Yeah?” Daryl perked up a little, a shy smile forming on his lips. “What about tomorrow? Gonna miss tomorrow?”  
  
“I miss you the minute you walk out of that door every night, so yeah. I'm gonna miss you tomorrow.” She felt awkward admitting it out loud, but she forced herself to look into his beautiful blue eyes to show him that she meant it.  
  
Daryl's smile grew a little wider before he pressed a kiss to her lips, his tongue darting into her mouth, tangling with hers for a short moment.  
  
“Same here.” he breathed so quietly that Jarah thought she might have imagined it.  
  
“One week from now, we'll have more time again. Just one more week. Come on, let's have dinner and then get on that couch before it gets too late!” She kissed him soundly and then wriggled out of his arms to get dinner finished, while he watched her. He loved watching her. She was always barefoot, kind of a bad idea while working in a kitchen, but that was something he didn't argue over, he loved seeing it and something would be amiss if she'd start to put on shoes inside her apartment. Daryl used to hate feet, but he found hers to be unbelievably cute.  
  
After dinner they cuddled up on the couch in their favorite position. Jarah was sideways on his lap, with her back resting comfortably against a pillow that was propped up against the armrest and him stroking his hand over her belly and legs all the while angling and hovering his torso over hers to make out with her.  
  
Her fingers were firmly knotted in his hair, her other hand grabbing at his broad shoulder and feeling up his muscled arms while their tongues dueled passionately.  
  
“Want me to get the oil?” He was breathing heavily when he broke away from the kiss. There was more intensity and urgency to their kisses tonight than the days before, probably due to the fact that they wouldn't be able to enjoy this for a whole day. He wanted her badly and he needed to calm himself down a little. A belly rub would help with that.  
  
He was totally okay with the speed at which they were moving, he'd preferred it even, it had helped him a great deal to build trust and confidence around her but fact was, he was a man, he had needs and that need was growing with every kiss. Taking care of himself every night in bed wasn't helping much. He wasn't as scared or intimidated anymore by the thought of taking the next step with her, he wanted it, but he knew it wasn't the right time right now. They were too preoccupied with organizing everything, but as soon as that damn move was done, they would need some serious alone time together so they could explore each other a little more. He didn't want do to it all rushed between dinner and her starting to fall asleep. He wanted to take his time, he'd need it ,too, as he was still figuring things out.  
  
The question paired with his sexy voice once more made her shiver with lust, but yet, she declined.  
  
“No, I'm so tired. I'm sorry.” He looked into her eyes and noticed that they were starting to get a bit droopy.  
  
“It's okay, I get it. Been a long ass week. Got an even longer one in front of ya. Should let you get your rest.”  
  
They untangled and Daryl helped her sit up before pulling her up to stand.  
  
“Text me when you get there, alright? Wanna know that you made it down there okay.”  
  
“I will. On Sunday I'll text you our estimated arrival date. Thanks again for doing freaking everything.” She stood on her tip-toes and kissed him softly, lingering a moment longer, not wanting to let him go yet.  
  
“Don't have ta thank me! Want ya to have everything you need.” he leaned down to give her a quick peck, but Jarah wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. She just needed a couple more to make it last until Sunday.  
  
Daryl eventually pulled back and turned her around to gently push her towards her bedroom. “Bed! Now!” Without even thinking he slapped her lightly on the ass.  
  
“Daryl...” Jarah jumped and giggled and looked over her shoulder for one last look at him.  
  
“I'll see you Sunday!” Daryl gave her a little smile and then left, hating how hard it was to leave this time. He couldn't wait for Sunday. It was funny how quickly he'd gotten used to being with her every day. Tomorrow was going to be a bitch.  
##### ####### ########### ####### ########


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
Merle and Daryl were waiting in front of Jarah's new house. She'd texted him that they would arrive around 1 pm. Now it was already 1.15 pm and the moving van was nowhere in sight, causing Daryl to get fidgety again.  
  
“Don't you start pacing, boy! I'll whip your ass!” Merle shot him a warning glare. He'd had enough of his brother's nervous shit.  
  
He'd been restless the whole day yesterday, pacing through the apartment, chewing on his thumbnail and chain smoking. He had kept the radio in the kitchen on, listening to the traffic reports. If there had been an accident on the I-85 or the I-65 he'd known about it and had texted Jarah to ask if they were okay.  
  
He'd also spent plenty of time cursing himself for not going with her anyway. He didn't know what kind of driver Natalie was and if she could be trusted to get them to Alabama safe and sound. Jarah had wanted him to take the day to rest, not realizing that there was just no way for him to stay relaxed with her spending hours on the interstate and being 350+ miles away from him.  
  
“You either stop that pacing, bro or I'll knock you out. You're making ME nervous with all that damn runnin' around. She's fine, relax! Who knew you were such a control freak.” Merle had ended up yelling at him after a couple of hours. His little brother had damn near driven him up the wall.  
  
Instead of getting punched by Merle, Daryl had left the apartment and had went over to Jarah's new house. Merle hadn't painted the baby's new room yet, which was fine by Daryl. Somehow he felt better doing that himself. He would make sure that it turned out perfect, so he'd spent a lot of time on painstakingly taping off the room. Jarah didn't like bright and flashy colors, she preferred more soothing, colder colors so she had chosen slate blue for the wall where the crib would be and stone grey for the rest of the room. Painting had kept him occupied for a couple of hours, but it hadn't really distracted him from his thoughts.  
  
He'd kept thinking about her and about what life was going to be like as soon as the little person inside her belly would be sleeping in this room, keeping his promise to her, that he would think about it, without sugar-coating it. Things would change for sure, quiet and peaceful moments would very probably be rare, it would be more stressful, there would be a ton of nights with little to no sleep if the little one turned out to be on the fussier side. He was aware that it wouldn't be a “happy pony ride” all the time, as she had put it, but even when imagining the worst cry baby on the planet, he really didn't care how hard it would be, he was all in. Nothing would be more fucked up and more stressful than the life he'd had when he was younger.  
  
The part Jarah didn't seem to get, in his opinion, was that she wouldn't be alone. She thought she would have to do it all by herself, even if they were together. That wasn't true. Sure she would be by herself when Daryl had to work, but after work he would be there. He wouldn't just go see her to have dinner and get a little sugar. He wanted to help, he could stay with the baby while she took a bath or something. She didn't have to be a stressed-out single mother with puke on her shirt and unkempt hair. She didn't have to be a single mother at all. He was willing to share responsibilities, she would just have to let him and everything would work out.  
  
He was up for the challenge, he wasn't gonna run just because things got a little tough. If they would still be together when she gave birth (and they would be, he was sure of that), he would be in the kid's life right from the start, so he would try to be as “hands-on” as possible. The hardest part about it all would be to convince Jarah that he was willing and able to do it all. He would show her and over time she'd learn to trust that he was someone she could depend on and that he wasn't going anywhere.  
  
“Oh man, thank the fucking Lord! Now you can stop being such a nervous wreck, baby brother.” Merle was the first of the two brothers to spot the moving van coming down the street. Daryl felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders and the dark rainy cloud that had been hovering over his head yesterday vanished into thin air.  
  
The van had barely stopped when Daryl went up to the passenger side and opened the door to help Jarah get out. He felt like he hadn't seen her in ages. They kept staring into each others eyes for a moment, his hands on her hips, hers on his arms, she was lighting up the street with her smile, his was a little upward curve of the corners of his mouth, but Jarah still knew he was happy to see her. And he was, he wanted to crush her to him and kiss her til she went cross-eyed, but they had an audience, so looking was all they did.  
  
“Pussy.” Merle scoffed at his brothers reluctance to greet his girl properly. “Hey there, Shorty, looks like you got an upgrade for your milk bar, huh? You're a lucky son of a bitch, little brother!”  
  
“Let me guess, that's gotta be Merle.” Natalie came around the truck and Merle did a double-take. Damn that girl was even shorter than his brother's girl, but boy did she have curves in all the right places.  
  
“The one and only. And who would you be, lil bit?”  
  
“Natalie, nice to meet you.” She stuck out her hand with a friendly smile. Merle didn't return the smile. Not because he didn't like her, but because he was too busy studying her. Still he shook her hand. Damn she was tiny.  
  
“Why don't ya show Nat around the house? I gotta show Jarah something.” Daryl said to Merle in passing, while he pulled a surprised Jarah into the house. She was surprised because this was the first time she had ever heard him say her name and it got her all fluttery.  
  
Daryl pulled her straight to the nursery, not giving her time to take in the paint jobs Merle had done around the house.  
  
“What did you wanna show me?” Jarah asked a little out of breath because of his brisk pace. His answer was to kick the door shut to whatever room they were in right now, she had no idea, and to push her up against the wall, his mouth on hers before the loud bang of the door slamming shut even echoed throughout the room.  
  
His tongue immediately sought out hers and a deep groan resounded from his throat as he got his fix of what he'd been craving for 36 hours.  
  
“Fucking glad you're back. Next time I'm comin'. Not doing this again.” he pulled back only long enough to get the words out before firmly attaching his mouth back to hers, his hands roaming her neck, arms and sides.  
  
Jarah let him go at it for a couple of minutes. She'd been surprised by how much she had really missed him and to see that he'd apparently felt the same way, felt unbelievably good. She kissed him right back with equal fervor, but eventually she had to gently push her hands against his chest.  
  
“Sorry,” she gasped for air when he released her lips, “little out of breath, here!”  
  
“Sorry,... couldn't wait, I guess.” he gave her a little smile and a little peck on the lips all the while taking her hands in his. Ever since the doula told him to keep an eye out for swelling of the face and hands, he checked them every day. Her face looked normal and a brush of his thumbs over the back of her fingers told him her hands were fine, too. They didn't feel tight and the ring she wore on her index finger could be moved around with ease.  
  
“Feel good? No headaches?” His concern made Jarah smile, it was nice that somebody besides Natalie gave a shit. Natalie actually turned out to be one of Daryl's biggest fans. She'd damn near squealed with delight every time Daryl had texted Jarah to check if she was okay. She thought it was freaking adorable that he cared that much and had said over and over that Jarah deserved someone like him. She knew her best friend was in very good hands with Daryl.  
  
“I feel great! Nat's family pampered me so much, it was ridiculous. And before you ask, I only had one coffee yesterday afternoon and none today and her sister made me a ton of pregnancy-friendly snacks.”  
  
“Good girl.” he smiled down at her. “You look good. Here, take a look around. Did this yesterday.” He stepped away from her and let her take in the room.  
  
“Oh wow, it's just how I wanted it. It's perfect, Daryl. Thank you! Can't wait to get the rest done.” she looked around in awe. She was in love with the colors. Daryl had done a great job and he was insanely proud of himself, because he could see how happy she was with his work by the look on her face.  
  
“Yeah, once you're moved in we shouldn't waste any time in getting this done. It's not that long anymore and he might come early.”  
  
“You're right, but I hope he'll stay in there for at least another 10 weeks. You hear me in there? Can't come too early. I want you happy and healthy.” she stroked her hands over her belly and smiled at Daryl. “Also there is still SO much that needs to be done. I need a crib, changing table, his first clothes, diapers, strollers, thermometer, bottles, formula, freaking everything. I didn't even realize how much stuff I still have to get until Nat's sister made me a list. I hadn't even thought about all the little things, yet.”  
  
“Formula?” Daryl looked at her questioningly. “You ain't gonna nurse?”  
  
“No, not long-term. Only the first couple of days, maybe weeks. Gotta go back to work as soon as possible and I'll need other people to feed him and I just can't get into the whole pumping thing. Please don't judge.”  
  
“I ain't,...” Daryl grew quiet for a moment. It bothered him that she was planning on going back to work that quickly. He knew she'd worked in shifts, night shifts even from 8pm til 6am. How was she gonna pull that off with a newborn? Her boss didn't sound overly supportive either from some of the stories she'd told him. That was something they'd have to figure out in the near future. Now they had to focus on getting everything ready for the kid's arrival. “So you got a list of everything ya need?”  
  
“Yeah, like three pages.”  
  
“'Kay, we'll take care of it one by one in the next couple of weeks.”  
  
“Gotta hit some second-hand stores. Can't buy everything brand new.”  
  
“Ain't your ex gonna pay for some of the stuff?” They were married and it's his kid, surely he would have to pay for at least half. If he made Jarah pay for everything himself, that Jackson guy was a bigger ass than Daryl had thought.  
  
“He probably would, but I don't want his money. I put him in this situation, I put myself in this situation, so I'm gonna make it work on my own. Wouldn't be fair to make him pay.”  
  
“It's his kid, too!” Daryl argued.  
  
“It is and if he willingly wants to cover some of the expenses once Jamie's born then I won't say no, but I won't ask for it. It's up to him.” Jarah knew taking money from Jackson would be the easiest way to go, but like she'd said, it wouldn't be fair, because she was the one who left him.  
  
“Fair enough. C'mon, let's check on Merle and your friend. It's too quiet, don't need them killing each other. Still need his help to get the stuff inside.”  
  
##### ###### ######## ##### ###### ####### ######  
  
Merle meanwhile accompanied Natalie into the house. Shamelessly admiring the view of her tight little ass.  
  
“Tell me, Lil Bit, you from 'round here?”  
  
“Name's Natalie and originally I'm from Alabama. Moved here 10 years ago for the job.” she answered casually while looking around.  
  
“You work with my brother's girl, right? How's an itty bitty thing like you, wrestle around all those old folks?”  
  
“You know what they say, Merle. Dynamite comes in small packages.” Nat winked at him grinning.  
  
“Ain't that the truth. According to that you gotta be pretty damn explosive. Better watch out then, huh?” Merle was grinning right along with her. He could tell the girl had some fire, he liked her.  
  
“Oh you have no idea! Already heard you were a troublemaker! Gonna keep my eye on you!”  
  
“Oh yeah? Gonna whip my ass into shape if I don't behave around the love birds?”  
  
“You can count on that. I'll have your balls on a silver platter.” She threatened, but it was playful as she was still wearing that little grin on her face, which Merle found to be pretty sexy.  
  
“Not a threat, Lil Bit. I'd still win, 'cause you'd have to touch them to get them off. I'd still die a grinning fool.”  
  
“You're nasty!” She laughed anyway, she had a twisted sense of humor, not unlike him.  
  
“And you like it! Or you would have already kicked my nuts up into my stomach.”  
  
Natalie shook her head smiling, deciding to change the topic.  
  
“So you painted this? Nice job, looks good. It's nice of you to help out.”  
  
“Well, girl's preggers and my baby brother's at work all day. I ain't got nothing to do and you gotta support new love, you know what I mean? Give them time to bang their brains out.”  
  
“How very sweet of you, but stop bullshitting me. Thought you weren't that supportive of them?” Natalie wasn't the type to beat around the bush.  
  
“Aaah, I see you already DO know everything about me, yeah? Wasn't at first, gotta admit, I'm still kinda on the fence. Don't want the first girl he likes to use him, ya know? So maybe you can tell me, just between us, no bullshit. She just lookin' for someone to pay for the kid?”  
  
“You do know that I'm her best friend right? What makes you think I won't lie to your face?” Natalie was curious why he would trust her to tell him the truth. They had just met after all.  
  
“Dunno, you don't strike me as the lying-type, Lil Bit.” Merle shrugged.  
  
“Still, no matter what I'd say, you couldn't be sure either way. So guess you'll just have to wait and see! All I can say is, give her a chance. I got a question for you! Daryl's not a virgin, is he?”  
  
“Why? Aw don't tell me they ain't done it yet. So I was supportin' new love for nothin'? Damn!”  
  
“So he is? I mean he can't even hug her in front of us.” Natalie had never seen a man that painfully shy, she still couldn't believe that a guy could be like that.  
  
“Nah, he ain't a virgin. Just hasn't been with many girls and certainly never for more than one night.”  
  
“So, what's his deal?.”  
  
“He's just complicated, my little bro. Don't worry, he likes her. Should have seen him yesterday. No doubt that he's into her.”  
  
“I don't doubt that he's into her, just wondering what the deal is. You were the one who told her to cut him some slack in the bedroom, if I'm not mistaken. Just wanted you to clarify.”  
  
“Means, he doesn't have a whole lot of experience, is all. Don't have to take it that seriously. What about you? Got someone that takes care of you?”  
  
“I do! His name is Bob!” Natalie grinned, wondering if Merle knew what it meant.  
  
“Bob? What kinda name is that?” Merle sneered, he figured that she'd have a man, still it was disappointing.  
  
“Oh, just a nickname. It's short for Battery-Operated Boyfriend.”  
  
It took a moment for the penny to drop, but once he got it Merle started roaring in laughter.  
  
“Now I get it, Lil Bit! Boy, you're nasty!”  
  
“And you like it!” she winked, throwing his words back at him, before she left the living area to check out the rest of the house.  
  
She met up with Daryl and Jarah in the hallway when they exited the nursery.  
  
“There you two are! The house is great, Jarah. It will be perfect for the little fella to grow up in. That the nursery?”  
  
“Yeah, Daryl painted it yesterday. I absolutely love it. You like it?”  
  
“I do, the colors are very you. It's got kind of a relaxing feel to it.”  
  
“Oh well, let's hope that Jamie will feel the same way!”  
  
“I'm gonna grab Merle and unload the truck. Holler if ya need anything.” Daryl squeezed her hand gently and left, leaving the girls alone to chatter.  
  
“You said Merle was a troublemaker, but you didn't say he was HOT!”  
  
Jarah did a double-take, she actually had to hold on to the wall so she wouldn't keel over in shock.  
  
“WHAAAAAAT?”  
  
“Oh come on, Jar-Jar. He might be an ass, but you gotta admit that he's attractive. Nice built, nice and masculine clear-cut face...”  
  
“I know that you are into older guys, but still, I can't believe what I'm hearing here.”  
  
“Get over it, I think I found my next challenge!”  
  
“You got your work cut out for you, that's for sure. But hey, have a crack at him, maybe he'll back off Daryl in the meantime.”  
  
“I'm sure I'd find a way or two to keep him busy.” Nat waggled her eyebrows and Jarah laughed and shuddered at the same time.  
  
“Don't think I want details on that one.”  
  
“Well though luck, sister! If it happens, you're gonna get 'em! Hey, we can compare notes, since they're brothers and everything!” she yelled after Jarah, who had fled the room.  
  
“Ewwwwwww, just stop, for the love of God! Come on, let's make ourselves useful and clean a little!” Jarah no longer wanted to hear anything about Merle. She had enough images in her head to traumatize her for the rest of her life now.  
  
Natalie grabbed some cleaning supplies while Jarah told the guys where to put the furniture they had brought from Mobile. On the drive back to Atlanta Jarah had decided where to put everything, it would save them the trouble of moving things around a couple of times and every bit of time they could save would be helpful.  
  
A couple of hours later the back of the van was empty and the house started to look like a home. Jarah had even managed to unpack a couple of boxes, especially the kitchen stuff. Later they ordered some food and gathered around Jarah's new dining room table to eat. It felt nice, Jarah and Daryl were mostly quiet and held hands under the table while they watched Merle and Nat exchanged jibes and kept flirting in their own weird way.  
  
It felt really nice, Jarah, Daryl and even Merle got a glimpse into what life could be like if they'd stick together. For Jarah it was an added bonus that Nat was there and really got along well with Daryl and especially Merle, much to Daryl's surprise. Jarah thought that they should get together like that more often, it was like their own little dysfunctional family.  
  
##### ######## ####### ####### ####### ####### #####  
  
Moving week had turned out to be awful for Jarah. Her back had been hurting something awful even without getting the rest of packing done. She hadn't felt like doing anything at all, but she'd forced herself since she wanted the whole thing to be done with by Friday night. She and Daryl were planning on spending the weekend together and do fun things only, all weekend long, so she'd wanted to get everything unpacked at the house until then, no matter how much she was hurting.  
  
She'd had some pieces of new furniture delivered to the house on Wednesday and Merle had helped her set it up in exchange for a home cooked meal and a beer. They were all working their asses off, although there was no need to rush (she could have kept her apartment for a week or so longer), Daryl and Nat knew that Jarah wanted to be useful and help as much as she could, but that would only turn out to be more difficult the longer they drew this out, the back pains wouldn't get better in the next couple of weeks. If anything it would get even worse.  
  
Thursday night when Daryl had finished his work he looked around her apartment and noticed that the only things left were her couch, her bed, clothes, her TV, a couple of shelves and her everyday necessities.  
  
“Call Nat, I'm gonna call Merle, we're doing this tonight!” he announced as he poked his head into the kitchen where Jarah was fixing him a sandwich.  
  
“Are you kidding? Please tell me you're kidding. I just wanna get off my feet. I'm dying here!” It wasn't like her to whine, but she was reaching her breaking point. She had two doctors appointments today and a nurse had tortured her with a needle, trying to get a blood sample, but she hadn't found a vein. After 15 minutes of trying and shoving the needle into Jarah's arm in three different places, she had to get the doctor and even he had to try twice by sticking the needle into the back of her hand. It had hurt like a bitch and Jarah had just wanted to curl up and cry. She'd always had that problem, her entire life there had only been one or two professionals had been able to get blood out of her on their first try. Daryl had nearly had a heart attack when he checked her hands for swelling and found the back of her right hand in an unhealthy shade of dark purple mixed with the shade of green of a fading bruise.  
  
Daryl went over to her and cradled her face in his hands. She looked ready to fall asleep right then and there, but if they did this now, she could take the whole Friday to unpack and get settled and their weekend would be free.  
  
“You wanna get this done, right?” his thumbs gently brushed along the dark circles underneath her eyes.  
  
“I do, but right now? I just wanna drop to the floor and cry.”  
  
“Nonsense. You don't have to do much. Just throw the rest of your stuff in some boxes. Nat will help ya and Merle and I'll take care of the rest. Nat's got her day off tomorrow, she'll help ya unpack and y'all can have your girls night you keep chattin' about. Just think about that.”  
  
“'Kay, I'll make the call!” There was no use in arguing with Daryl, she knew he was right and the image of her and Nat sipping cocktails, non-alcoholic for her of course, on her couch tomorrow night was very appealing.  
  
“Good.” He kissed her gently and picked up her cell phone from the counter to hand it to her. She got one more kiss before he went into the bedroom to start taking apart her bed.  
  
###### ##### ###### ###### ######  
  
About an hour later they were all hard at work and it and three hours later they plopped down on the couch that was now standing in the new living room.  
  
“I am so sleeping in tomorrow, thank God the worst is over.” Natalie yawned as she rested her head against the back of Jarah's couch.  
  
“Awww, I'm hurt, Lil Bit. Calling seeing me every night 'the worst'?” Merle nudged her with his elbow with a grin.  
  
“How are you still in such a good mood? To have your stamina...” Natalie muttered with another yawn, she was too tired for a clever comeback.  
  
“You have no idea, Ol' Merle can last a loooong time!”  
  
Daryl meanwhile looked down at Jarah whose head was resting against his shoulder.  
  
“Hey, grab some of your stuff. You're staying with me tonight. Not gonna leave you in this mess of boxes. How'd you fit all that into that apartment anyway? Didn't look that much.”  
  
“I'm good at fitting stuff in small spaces. Anyone know where my bathroom stuff went?”  
  
“Bathroom, I guess!” Natalie muttered and Jarah waddled into the bathroom to check. She found her toothbrush and lotions and vitamins and just grabbed the little bag it was all in and went back out to the living room.  
  
“Let's go now, please or I'll just drop to the floor.” This time it was her turn to yawn and she was happy that Daryl immediately dragged her out to his truck. She passed out as soon as he'd closed the door.  
  
He felt a little bad, he'd pushed her too much today, he knew that, but now the hard part was behind them. She could sleep in and then start unpacking and he knew she was looking forward to decoratin the house and all that shit. She'd be much happier and probably grateful by tomorrow night.  
  
“Hey Daryl, wait up!” Natalie jogged up to him and spoke quietly, so Merle wouldn't hear. “Make sure that she rests on her left side a lot. Legs bent, one pillow between her knees and one under her belly. I know she's out like a light, but still, if you're gonna have sex, no regular missionary, she shouldn't be flat on her back anymore, keep it elevated!”  
  
“Jesus Nat...” Daryl's eyes widened, he didn't know what to say to that.  
  
“Relax, we're all adults here! Now go take her home, she needs to lay down. Remember what I said. Left side!” And with that she hopped into her own car to leave.  
  
Only a couple of minutes later he carried her up into his apartment and straight into his room to lay her on the bed. After tucking her in and making sure she was in the right position he stood next to the bed, not knowing what to do. Would she be mad or think badly of him if he laid down with her? He wasn't sure. He didn't want to risk it so he grabbed a pillow and went to the living room and made himself comfortable on the couch. Merle had gone to the bar for a drink, when he got back he'd just have to sleep on the floor for once.  
  
###### ##### ###### #### ##### ###### ######  
  
“The fuck are you doin, boy?” Merle kicked the couch, startling his younger brother awake.  
  
“Sleeping, what does it look like?”  
  
“Why out here? Why aren't ya with ya girl in there? She kick ya out?”  
  
“Nah, she's out cold. Thought she might prefer me staying out here.” Daryl was embarrassed when Merle laughed in his face.  
  
“You could have played both parts in Dumb &; Dumber, little bro! Just how stupid can ya be? If she wakes up alone all she's gonna think is how you don't wanna be with her! Damn, really makes me wonder how that shit is gonna work out with the two of ya. Can't even sleep in the same bed. Get in there, or I'll kick ya teeth in!” he kicked the couch once more for emphasis before Daryl grabbed his pillow and got up.  
  
He went over into his bedroom quietly and shut the door behind him. Didn't need Merle to be able to look inside. Daryl put his pillow on the bed next to her, then he carefully sat down on the edge of the bed. Should he undress? She wasn't undressed. And the rustling of the clothes might wake her. So his sleeveless shirt and his jeans would stay on his body for the night.  
  
He laid down on his back, careful not to touch her or wake her up, but then he remembered that he hated sleeping on his back. He often rolled to the left side, like her or he ended up on his stomach. He shifted until he was facing her back. She was so close now. If it would be okay to put his arm around her while she slept? He always touched her belly when she was awake, so it was probably okay.  
  
Daryl gently put his hand on her swollen belly and jumped when he heard her smile.  
  
“Took you long enough.”  
  
“You're awake?”  
  
“Yeah, my back is killing me. Did you really sleep on the couch?” There was amusement in her voice.  
  
“Yeah, thought it was the right thing to do.”  
  
“You are so cute, I appreciate what you were trying to do, but you're brother's right, I prefer having you in here with me.” She removed the pillows that were supporting her body and rolled over to her right side to face him.  
  
“Thank you for doing this.” She held up one of the pillows. “How'd you know?”  
  
“Nat told me before we left. Said you shouldn't be flat on your back. Want me to give you a back rub?”  
  
“That would be awesome. But I think we'll have to find another position for that today that the one we usually use. I feel like I wanna kneel, brace myself against the headboard, stretch my back out a little. Can we give that a try?”  
  
Daryl suddenly experienced a rush as he was hit with kind of a deja-vu. She'd be in front of him, practically on all fours, just like in that dream he had once. That seemed like ages ago now. Back then he hadn't even known her name, wouldn't ever have thought that she'd give him the time of day and now here they were.  
  
“Yeah, anythin' you want!” he swallowed hard before answering. At least he knew that she didn't mind at all whenever he got a boner during their time together, 'cause he was sure there'd be no way to keep it from happening this time. He knelt up and helped her to sit up. She took a moment before she got into a kneeling position herself so she wouldn't get dizzy.  
  
She turned around to face the headboard and pulled off her sweater, followed by her tank top, leaving her in her black lace bra and capri leggings. She grabbed some pillows and propped them underneath her belly for support, then she leaned forward and braced herself by resting her arms on the wooden headboard.  
  
She moved around a little, pushing back against him, rotating her hips a little and then getting back to her initial position. She was just stretching her back out a little, like she'd said she wanted to do, but to Daryl it was pure sex. From behind you couldn't tell that she was pregnant at all. Her lithe body was all soft skin and subtle curves. The way her waist flared out into the now more pronounced curve of her hips made his mouth water. Her perfectly round ass looked fantastic up in the air, wrapped up in those tight leggings and her black lace panties peeked out ever so slightly from under the waistband. The view she was giving him was the sexiest thing he had ever seen and he had to bite his lip to keep from groaning out loud. This right here was all the porn he would ever need, his cock was already straining against the fabric of his old, worn out jeans and he hadn't even touched her. He wished he could take a picture of this moment and make it last forever, but he was sure she probably wouldn't appreciate him whipping out his phone right now.  
  
Instead he smoothed his hands over her butt, his fingers itching to pull the leggings down as they passed their waistband, an image of him sinking his teeth into the supple flesh of her butt cheek was flashing through his mind, resulting in his cock giving a little jump.  
  
He slid his hands to her hips, gripping them firmly as his thumbs pressed into the muscles of her lower back on either side of her spine. Jarah arched her back and bucked her hips back against him in response, a low moan escaping her.  
  
“Oooh, that's goooood.”  
  
“Yeah? Pressure okay?” his voice was hoarse, sending shivers down her back.  
  
“Perfect! Mmmm, keep going. It feels so good.”  
  
Sweet lord, the way she was moaning made his dick twitch uncontrollably. In the back of his mind a little voice told him that he was being a dirty pervert for turning an innocent little back rub into something sexual. He decided not to listen, he couldn't help it anyway. His girl was the sexiest woman on the planet and he'd always been powerless in the fight against the things she was doing to him. Thank fucking God, or he might have never taken her up on her invitation a couple a weeks ago. He just gripped her hips a little tighter, keeping her ass pressed against his crotch a little longer than necessary here and there, fighting the urge to just hold her in place and dry-hump her until he reached completion.  
  
Jarah was completely oblivious to what was going on with Daryl in that moment. She was in her own world. The pillows supported the weight of her belly, making her back feel lighter and the pressure Daryl was applying with his thumbs felt just heavenly, she could feel the knots of tension loosening bit by bit and could have cried with relief. She kept moving her hips back and forth and wriggling them from side to side, feeling that it helped working out some of the tension in her pelvis, unaware of what it was doing to the man behind her.  
  
She was killing him, he didn't know if she was doing it on purpose or if it was purely accidental, but her ass massaged his dick in the best way and that paired with the view he had and her moans was driving him crazy and he pushed up against her harder without being able to control it. His breathing grew labored and a telltale twitch in his balls shocked him into gripping her hard and holding her in place.  
  
“Jarah stop! God stop, woman!” he ground out between firmly pressed together teeth.  
  
She got startled out of her own world of delicious relief and frowned when she noticed that he sounded weird.  
  
“Daryl, what...” and suddenly she froze and her eyes widened. She could feel his pants spasming against her thinly covered backside as Daryl was releasing a staccato of quiet suppressed groans in time with each spasm. But she was sure that it wasn't his pants that was doing the spasming.  
  
It stopped eventually and Jarah knelt upright, keeping her back to him.  
  
“Did you just...” She was curious and a little confused. She'd been so spaced out, caught up in her own sensations that she hadn't noticed that her movements had riled him up like that.  
  
“Fuck!” Daryl cursed and jumped off the bed. He didn't dare look at her, he was deeply embarrassed. Looking over her shoulder she saw him yank some clothes out of his closet before he all but fled from the room.  
  
“Great job, Jarah. God you're stupid!” She muttered out loud. She couldn't believe it. For almost three weeks she had longed for this moment and now she'd made him cum without even noticing that it was happening? The worst thing was that he'd seemed mad. He probably hadn't been ready yet. He still hadn't made much of a move to take the next step with her and now she'd inadvertently forced him to.  
  
'Jarah stop!' She remembered him saying it now. Holy shit, he'd asked her to stop. For how long before she had noticed? Damn, she'd fucked up big time.  
  
##### ###### ###### ###### ####### ##### ######


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
  
“Fuck,... fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK!” Daryl slammed his fist against the white tiles of the shower wall with every f-word. He'd just made a complete fool of himself in front of his girl. How could he let it go that far? Why didn't he have enough sense to pull back? All he would've had to do was pull his hips back just a little bit to avoid cumming in his pants like a 12-year-old. But no, he just kept humping her, making the mistake of letting go of his precious control. He'd just wanted to enjoy being close to her, he wanted her so much.  
  
He'd just gotten caught by surprise at how quickly she had gotten him to the point of no return. He had thought he would be able to enjoy it a little while and then pull back and just give her the back rub she really needed to feel better. In retrospect he was shocked how quickly that orgasm happened. There had been no way to stop it, it came practically out of nowhere. But then again, he shouldn't have been that surprised about it. They had spent the past week unknowingly building up to this.  
  
These past couple of days their kisses had always went straight from a little peck to lots of tongue and heavy breathing, but without either of them making a move to go any further. Both thinking the other needed a bit more time, not realizing that maybe talking about the matter would have helped out a great deal. Talking about feelings and what they wanted was just not their strong point. They had gotten good at talking about pretty much anything, except about their relationship.  
  
For a little moment he had hoped that maybe she hadn't noticed what had happened, but that hope quickly faded when she started to ask him if he'd cum. Now he'd have to face her again, not knowing what to expect.  
  
He got out of the shower and quickly dried off. He dressed in a pair of black sweatpants and an old Nirvana t-shirt. Of course he forgot to bring underwear, so he had to go commando. God how he hoped she would be asleep when he came back, but he was sure that wouldn't be the case.  
  
She was wide awake and looked up when he came in. He only met her gaze for a split second before averting his eyes as he crawled back into bed. He just didn't know how to look at her without dying from the shame he felt.  
  
“I'm so sorry, Daryl. Are you mad?” His head whipped around and he gaped at her in surprise. She sounded so vulnerable and sad, it made him forget about his embarrassment for a minute.  
  
“The hell are you talking about? Why are you sorry? You didn't do nothin'!”  
  
“But I,... somehow I did that to you, didn't I? I just,... I'm confused. I don't know what happened.” She was at a loss for words. She realized that she didn't really know what she was apologizing for, because she didn't even know what exactly had happened.  
  
“You got nothin' to be sorry about. It was me. Lost control, I guess.” he looked down at his lap fiddling with his own fingers.  
  
“So you're not mad at me?”  
  
“No, I acted like a horny teen. I'm mad at myself.”  
  
“Don't be. You did nothing wrong.” She tried to catch his gaze, but he wouldn't look at her, so she straddled his lap and cradled his face her hands, angling it a little to place a long and deep kiss on his lips. He tentatively responded after a second, slowly relaxing. If she was still kissing him it probably meant that they were okay, he figured.  
  
“Did I make you lose control?” she breathed the question against his lips when they came up for air.  
  
“What do you think? The way you moved around,... how you sounded...” Jarah felt a rush of butterflies in her stomach. She really hadn't realized that she had that effect on him.  
  
“Would you be mad at me if I felt kind of proud about the whole thing, then?”  
  
“Proud? Why's that?”  
  
“It's a huge-ass compliment in a way and a big ego-boost. That I can get you there like that. That you like me enough to be affected that way. I'm very pregnant after all, not exactly wet dream material to most people.”  
  
Was she kidding? Did she really not know how beautiful she was and how fucking sexy? She could wear a potato sack and have rollers in her hair and he'd still be turned on. Damn, the whole embarrassing cumming-in-his-pants-thing might have an upside after all. That at least showed her how he felt about her and how much he wanted her. If she'd been unsure if he liked her pregnant body, that was her reassurance. He was really starting to believe that everything did happen for a reason. Even stuff like that. Maybe this would be an important turning point in their relationship. Whatever it was, he'd just go with it.  
  
“Shut up, don't wanna hear ya talk like that! Prettiest girl in the world, ya hear me?”  
  
She blushed, she'd never been good at dealing with compliments. She constantly got embarrassed by them. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face in the crook of it.  
  
“Thank you!” she smiled quietly.  
  
“Don't have ta thank me for saying the truth. Don't ya see how all those bastards look at ya when we're out walking?”  
  
“No. When we're together I only have eyes for you. Don't care about anyone else looking at me but you.” she grinned against his neck and Daryl could feel it, grinning a little himself.  
  
“Yeah? Why's that?”  
  
“Because I like you.”  
  
“How much ya like me?”  
  
“A lot.” She looked up and kissed him as if to emphasize that she meant it. They looked each other in the eyes for a moment, Jarah nuzzled the tip of her nose against his before she quickly buried her face in his neck again.  
  
It was funny how people opened up more as soon as the lights were low and their faces were hidden so that the other person wouldn't be able to see the vulnerability and insecurity in their expressions. Jarah wouldn't have admitted it sitting out on a park bench in direct sunlight, but like this, she felt weirdly protected by the dim light of the little lamp on Daryl's nightstand. It was what gave her the courage to ask her next question.  
  
“Can I do it again?” she murmured while pressing little kisses from his shoulder up to his ear.  
  
“Do what?” he let his eyes fall shut, enjoying the feel of her lips on his skin, while he gently dragged his fingertips up and down her still only bra-covered back.  
  
“Make you cum.” she breathed into his ear, letting her lips ghost along the outer shell.  
  
Daryl's eyes flew open and he felt like she'd touched him with a live wire.  
  
'Holy motherfucking shit!!!'  
  
“Think you just did!” he muttered without even thinking about it, feeling her body shake from giggling in response.  
  
“Sorry, need to take another shower?”  
  
“Nah, think I'm good!” He smoothed his hands over her back and carefully hugged her closer. “As much as I hate ta say it, but we should sleep. Gotta be at work in four hours.” His dick might be twitching again, but he was too damn tired to have her do anything about it. She had fueled his desire to be with her, but he was still dead set on wanting to take his time and not squeezing it in between moving and work, not their first experiences together. They could wait another day, they had the whole weekend together. At least they had been able to establish that they were both ready for more.  
  
##### ######## ###### ###### ###### #######  
  
Daryl had tried to wake her in the morning when he had to leave for work, but she was out cold. He was a little disappointed. They wouldn't see each other for the rest of the day. Jarah wanted to spend the evening with Nat to do some much needed catching up and she'd urged him to go to the bar with Merle to see his friends. She didn't see the need in neglecting the other people in their lives just because they were dating and couldn't get enough of one another. Absence made the heart grow fonder after all.  
  
She woke up around eleven and stepped into the living room where Merle was lounging on the couch.  
  
“Mornin' Merle.”  
  
“Hey there, Shorty! Coffee's in the kitchen!”  
  
“No thanks, I'm good. Little hungry though.”  
  
“Tough luck, fridge's empty.”  
  
“Hm, okay. Well I got to get over to the house anyway. Nat's gonna be there soon to help me unpack.”  
  
That made Merle perk up. “Ah yeah? Tell ya what, Shorty. Why don't you go on over there and I'll pick up breakfast from the diner and bring it over? Can help ya out a little, too. Can't hurt to get done faster, get ya off your swollen feet!”  
  
Jarah looked down at her feet with a frown. “They're not swollen!”  
  
“No? Well damn, Shorty, guess you were just born with hippo feet then.” he was wearing his trademark grin and by now she had figured out that he wasn't serious about all the shit he said, he just thought of himself as immensely funny and liked to jerk people's chains.  
  
She flipped him off, only making him laugh more while she looked around for her flip flops. Merle got up and grabbed his keys.  
  
“C'mon, Daryl took the bike and left me the truck. I'll give ya a ride, can't let those cankles get any worse or my little brother will run screaming for the hills.”  
  
“I don't have... God you're an ass!” She carefully picked up her flip flops and slapped him across the arm with one of them while he snickered. “Come on lets get a move on. You don't wanna see me hungry! Or Nat for that matter!”  
  
“Let's get you ladies fed then! Don't need y'all goin' all ballbuster on Ol' Merle. Move it, Preggers!”  
  
“What's with the nickname's?”  
  
“Can't help it if ya parents give y'all stupid names!”  
  
“But Merle is so great? Sounds like hurl!” Jarah frowned thinking of all the words Merle would rhyme with, not coming up with any. Then she suddenly grinned before she got in the truck.”Hey can I call you Hurley?”  
  
They continued their banter all the way to the house. It was playful and sure she was warming up to him, but what Nat saw in him she didn't know. Apparently she really liked a challenge. Jarah would not have the patience to deal with Merle Dixon in a relationship. If Merle Dixon in a relationship was even possible.  
  
##### ####### ##### ###### ###### ##### ###### ######  
  
Around eight that night Nat had tossed the last box in the trash. They had really done it. Jarah was all moved in and unpacked. Now came the good part. Cocktails, food and girly stuff. It had been months since they've been able to to that. They were both giddy to kick back and relax.  
  
“He came? For real? Full on orgasm? Geez, poor Daryl!” Natalie leaned back with her Cosmo after having painted Jarah's toe nails a deep shade of burgundy.  
  
“Why poor Daryl? I really don't get what the big deal is here. Why was he so ashamed and mad at himself? I just don't understand.”  
  
“Maybe because men like to pride themselves on their stamina? Don't know, but I think it's also because even shy and inexperienced men like Daryl have it in their genes to enjoy having power over their partner in bed. They wanna be the one to make YOU scream and lose control and pass out from unimaginable pleasure. Sure they also wanna get their dicks sucked and everything, but ultimately they wanna be your stud, the one that takes care of you. They enjoy being the dominant partner for the most part, I guess. You probably shocked the hell out of Daryl, by showing him how much power you have over him. He might have felt like he showed weakness or something by not being able to hold back. He was scared that you might think less of him now.”  
  
“I totally don't. I felt proud actually. I didn't even mean to make him cum, I didn't even think me moving against him would turn him on. It all happened so quickly, it made my head spin. One minute he's rubbing my back and then all of a sudden I feel him cum. I'm still not able to fully grasp what went on there.”  
  
“Why? You turned him on, he came. What's so hard to get about that?” Natalie frowned, not understanding why Jarah wasn't able to wrap her head around it.  
  
“I am just amazed. I am okay with my body, but still I never thought that it would be able to get a sweet, sexy, handsome man like Daryl to be aroused like that.”  
  
“You're the only one to be surprised by that and it's because that fucked up bastard you call Dad keeps telling you you're ugly and fat. Why in the world you let him back into your life is beyond me! You're just setting yourself up for more pain.”  
  
“Let's not talk about that!” Jarah set her Virgin Pina Colada on the coffee table and grabbed two bottles of nail polish. “Hot Pink or Electric Blue?”  
  
“Mmmm, Hot Pink, please.”  
  
“Really, is that what Hurley likes?”  
  
“Why do you keep calling Merle that? It's not a good nickname!” Nat complained while she put her foot in Jarah's lap so she could paint her toe nails.  
  
“Oh really? But his nicknames for us are that great?”  
  
“Well at least they are fitting, we're both short! Hurley is just plain stupid. So stop!”  
  
“I can't believe that you are defending Merle! Please be honest with me. You really like him?”  
  
“I'm not in love or anything, but he intrigues me. And I do think he's hot! Exactly my type. He could keep me on my toes, I like that. I think things with him wouldn't ever get boring.”  
  
“Guess you're right about that. Just be careful, not even Daryl is his biggest fan from the sound of it. He seems to get nicer, but I just don't know him well enough to know if he's being honest or not.”  
  
“I think he is. He helped you out a great deal, even though he is still not sure about you two. So don't go badmouthing him just yet. Just remember, Merle isn't used to his brother having a girl either. He is just protective. I'm sure it'll pass over time. You'll have to give each other some time.”  
  
“Sounds perfectly logical. Another leap of faith, huh?”  
  
“Yup, you need to get used to each other. Wouldn't want any tension at our double wedding! Hey watch it!”  
  
Jarah had burst out laughing and painted all over Natalie's toes. The image of the four of them in full wedding gear in a church was just too funny.  
  
“Well Natty, it's good for a laugh, but I don't think the Dixons are the type of guys who wanna get married ever.”  
  
“Hm, who knows. Things change. Now gimme that nail polish remover. You're startin' over!”  
  
##### ####### ##### ###### ##### ####### #####  
  
At the same time the Dixon brothers entered their favorite bar just a couple of blocks from Jarah's new home. It was a full house and a lot of their drinking buddies were there so the group had gotten “the round table”. The guys hadn't seen Daryl in about two weeks and they were amazed by the changes they were able to notice.  
  
He was carrying himself differently, his shoulders weren't hunched, his head wasn't lowered, but instead he stood up straight and actually looked at people. He was still quiet and fidgeted, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be. He looked around the table more and actually displayed something of an almost smile at some of the stories the guys were telling.  
  
He was just downing a shot of Tequila when Jimmy Harris, the son of Jarah's new landlord showed up. He was a tall, lanky fella with bright, almost orange hair and a ton of freckles. Which was why Merle always called him Freckles. Daryl had known him since elementary school, him and his folks were real nice people.  
  
“Oh hey Daryl! How you doin'? Haven't seen ya in a while!”  
  
“Oh my baby brother is doin' real good. His lady love got him all happy and shit!” Merle once again picked up his old habit of answering for Daryl, but this time his brother wouldn't have it.  
  
“Shut the fuck up, Merle. He ain't talking to you!”  
  
“Oh excuse me, since when are you all eager to answer questions? Shorty's got you changed big time, huh?”  
  
“Shorty? Does he mean Jarah? I met her earlier. Brought her copy of the lease over. You're a lucky bastard, Daryl. Those eyes and that smile? Man, that's the stuff that makes a guy go weak in the knees. And she's sweet, too. Offered me coffee and this awesome cake and everything.”  
  
Daryl felt his chest swell with pride and he gave Joey one of his rare little smiles.  
  
“Yeah, thanks again for settin' us up with your dad and everything!”  
  
“No problem, glad it worked out. The house looks great.”  
  
“Yeah, cause I spent a whole week painting it!” Merle piped up again, never to be ignored.  
  
“Can't believe you got off your lazy ass and helped your brother's girl out! She win over your little cold, black heart?” Dan Hoffman, an ex-colleague of Merle's, had heard all about Merle's reservations about Jarah. He had been quite open about it when the whole thing started, letting everyone in that bar know he didn't trust her.  
  
“She's alright, I guess. Nice to look at and not all that bad to be around. My baby brother did good.” Merle's answer sounded serious for once, surprising the hell out of everybody, especially Daryl. But Merle being Merle it didn't take but a second for his trademark smirk to appear again. “But who knows what's gonna happen, they haven't even fucked and it's been how long? Three weeks?”  
  
The guys at the table gaped at Daryl and for the first time that night, he did look down at the table like he used to all those years before, finding the grain of the wood incredibly interesting.  
  
“So fucking what?” Old Frank Carter spoke up, wanting to help Daryl out. “Hey Merle, my wife made me wait almost twice that long. Think I'm a pussy? If she's worth it you fucking keep it in your pants!” The man was lying, he didn't have to wait that long, he just wanted to wipe that stupid grin off of Merle's face.  
  
“Alright, alright, keep ya shirt on old man. Just havin' some fun here.”  
  
“Then go ahead and tell them that ya wanted to fuck Nat for a week and still haven't gotten any closer than her busting your balls.” Finally Daryl had something to retaliate with.  
  
“Who's Nat?” Dan looked at Merle questioningly, clearly intrigued by this new development.  
  
“My girl's best friend. Scary little pit bull she can be.” Daryl smirked and realized that it was the first time he'd publicly referred to Jarah as HIS girl. Fuck that felt good.  
  
“You watch your mouth, talking about a fine woman like that, little bro. You just wouldn't know how to handle her! She's a real hot little firecracker! She can dole out just as much as she can take. Get this, told me about the man that's taking care of all her needs, calls him Bob, wanna know what that means? Battery-Operated-Boyfriend! Holy fuck, can't stop thinking about her getting' busy with a fucking vibrator. Man and that body? That's the kinda woman that makes Ol Merle go weak in the knees.”  
  
“Jesus, Merle.” Daryl shook his head, making Merle scoff.  
  
“What? That word make ya blush, bro? Vibrator? Huh? Should get used to it, your girls got one, too! Saw it with my own eyes, opened the wrong box!”  
  
The expression on Daryl's face was priceless, making Jimmy almost choke on his beer from laughing.  
  
“What are ya doing going through her stuff?” Daryl's face had turned a bright shade of red, but he didn't care, for once he was too distracted by this new bit of info and he was pissed at his brother for going through Jarah's personal things.  
  
“Relax, just wanted to make myself useful. She doesn't know, I was gentleman enough to not go pokin' her in the face with it.” Merle was laughing and Daryl buried his face in his hands.  
  
“Good Lord...”  
  
Everybody else around the table enjoyed the show. Those girls had definitely brought forth some changes and it was fun to watch, especially with Daryl now being an active participant instead of being put down by Merle.  
  
“Well, Merle, I feel another Marianne comin' on!” Dan teased before he chugged back the rest of his beer.  
  
“Nah, Lil Bit ain't nothin' like Marianne. She wouldn't put up with my crap, like Mari did. She'd give a good fight.”  
  
“Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'd sure wouldn't mind meetin' those girls. Why don't you bring 'em sometime?” Frank was just too curious about the two females who had the Dixons wrapped around their little fingers.  
  
“Nah, too much smoke in here. Not good for the baby.” Daryl declined.  
  
“Don't have to be here, there are other places people can meet!” Frank smiled at Daryl, but he just shrugged.  
  
“Whatever, I'm goin' out for a smoke!”  
  
“I'll come with ya. Need some fresh air, too. Can barely see straight in here from all the smoke.” Jimmy got up and accompanied Daryl outside. “You know, it'd be nice to get together sometime. Don't tell anyone, but Patricia and I just found out we're having a baby.”  
  
“Congrats.”  
  
“Thanks. She's nervous as fuck about it. She doesn't have any family left and none of her friends have been pregnant. She'd really like to meet Jarah, ask her a couple of questions about the whole thing and all...”  
  
“Don't know Jimmy, she's pretty busy with her own shit. Gotta have to ask her first. Not this weekend though. Already got plans.”  
  
“That's okay, didn't have to be right away. Just ask her and get back to me, kay?”  
  
Daryl just nodded while he took a drag from his cigarette and Jimmy smiled.  
  
“I'm happy for you. She seems great. Just gotta be weird, her having a kid that's not yours?”  
  
Daryl sighed and just shrugged. He really didn't get what the big deal about that was. Sure it might not be an ideal situation, but he couldn't care less. He would still take care of the little fella, blood or not. The only thing that did bother him a little was that he might have to see her ex every other week and would have to fight hard to keep himself from hurting the guy. He yet had to get it out of Jarah what that incident was, she'd talked about during their first nights together. The one thing her ex had done to her, that had been worse than hitting her. He already felt his blood starting to boil at the mere thought of it. Worse than hitting, he could imagine what it meant and if he was right, then there would be nowhere the good Doc Mason could hide. Daryl would find him and he would rip that fucker apart with his bare hands.  
  
##### ####### ####### ######## ######## ########  
  
Daryl let himself into Jarah's home the next morning. Both him and Nat had kept a key for emergencies, but Jarah had told them both that they were welcome to come in at any time without knocking or ringing the doorbell. Those noises always started the hell out of her and caused little anxiety attacks, so she preferred them coming in and just calling out to her.  
  
The smell of fresh-baked waffles invaded his nostrils as soon as he stepped foot inside the house and he heard her humming along to Johnny Cash's 'Walk the Line'. He peeked into the kitchen, smiling at the sight of her. She was barefoot, as usual and the only other thing she seemed to be wearing, aside from maybe a pair of panties, was his old Nirvana T-Shirt he'd worn the night she had spent at his place. Little minx must have snagged it when she left the previous day.  
  
This time he didn't hesitate. He's had the strong urge to have a picture of her to carry around with him at all times for days now and this would be just perfect. He quietly pulled the phone from his pocket and took the picture. He looked at the screen, satisfied with his accomplishment, before he slipped the phone back into his jeans.  
  
“You just gonna keep standing there or will you come up here and say hello any time soon?” She grinned at him over her shoulder, making Daryl's heart damn near soar. She looked so much better than she had during the week. She was well-rested and obviously very happy, her eyes were all shiny, just the way Daryl loved them.  
  
He went up to her cradling her face in his strong calloused hands and gently nudged her lips apart with his own, his tongue immediately seeking out hers for a soulful, yet searing hot kiss, that had the muscles in her lower regions clench in quite a pleasurable way.  
  
“Wow!” Jarah took a deep breath and Daryl smugly detected a slightly dazed expression on her face. “Well hello, I missed you, too. You should hang with the guys more often if that's the hello I get the next morning!”  
  
“Guess you were right about that absence thing. That ma shirt?” he tugged on the worn fabric that stretched out over her belly, his expression not revealing how much he liked seeing her wear it.  
  
“Yeah, sorry I took it. It smells like you and since I knew I wasn't gonna see you last night... Guess I wanted part of you here with me. That bad?” She bit her lip, shyly looking up at him. She didn't want him to think of her as getting too clingy. She'd just really missed him and even though his smell surrounding her kind of made her miss him even more, it was nice to have it around while he was gone.  
  
“Nah, looks better on you anyway!” They shared a soft deep kiss before she pulled away, to keep making waffles. He wasn't ready to let her go yet though and wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his hands on her belly. After a moment of watching her, Daryl looked around and saw that the table hasn't been set yet for breakfast.  
  
“Want me to set the table?”  
  
“No, we're not having breakfast at the table. We're starting the weekend off right and that means we're gonna have a waffle breakfast in bed! That's why I wanted you to bring you're sweatpants. Did ya? Just want everything to be nice and comfy.”  
  
“I did. Left them in the truck.”  
  
“Okay, then go get them please, get changed and get that fine ass of yours in bed. I'm almost done here.”  
  
“Yes ma'am!” he grinned and smacked her butt before he left the kitchen.  
  
##### ###### ##### ##### ####### ###### #######  
  
An hour and four vanilla-flavored waffles topped with loads of whipped cream and strawberries later Daryl was completely stuffed and leaned back against the headboard to sip the rest of his orange juice, definitely feeling like he could get used to breakfast in bed. Too bad that he wasn't able to have a smoke without getting up.  
  
He looked over at Jarah who was slowly sipping her weird vanilla-espresso-milk-whatever shit, with closed eyes and a blissful expression on her face.  
  
“You doin' okay over there?”  
  
“I can't hear a single word you're saying. I'm having a love affair with this latte right now!”  
  
“Should I leave you two alone then?”  
  
“Not necessary, we're almost done. Gotta enjoy it now that I can't have four or five of these a day anymore. If you wanna smoke just go over to the window, you know the drill. I don't mind.”  
  
Daryl got his smokes from the living room and settled against the windowsill while he smoked. Jarah finished her latte in silence, before she went to take the dishes into the kitchen and load everything in the dishwasher.  
  
When she got back Daryl was already back in bed. HER bed, a really nice view to come back to. She didn't bother getting back to her side of the bed, instead she pulled the covers off of Daryl and straddled his lap. She tugged on the hair at the back of his head, tilting his head up a little to give him a taste of his own medicine by parting his lips with her tongue, not bothering to warm him up with a nice gentle kiss first. Their lips didn't meet at all as Daryl didn't hesitate to respond, immediately thrusting his tongue up against hers.  
  
Jarah cursed herself for even thinking she could be in charge of this one. Daryl had picked up on the whole kissing thing pretty damn fast and every little movement of the tip of his tongue made her wet her panties a little more and she was melting like butter in the hot Georgia sun.  
  
His tongue flicked and rubbed and teased hers into submission, step by step forcing it back into her mouth and him following suit, his hand grabbing the back of her neck, keeping her in place as he claimed her lips and took from her what he wanted, kissing her deeply, their tongues dueling ardently in her mouth.  
  
Her hands meanwhile stroked along his broad chest, tentatively raking her nails over his nipples over the fabric of his black wife-beater, testing the level of sensitivity. She was rewarded with a groan and the feeling of his teeth digging lightly into her tongue. His hands had grabbed her tighter for a split-second, pulling her closer to his groin.  
  
“You never really answered my question the other night.” she whispered against his lips as she let her fingertips trace back and forth over his nipples, making it hard for him to focus on anything but the little jolts of electricity that were shooting from his nipples straight to his balls thanks to her.  
  
“Which one?” he ground out, his breathing labored.  
  
“Can I make you cum again?” And there it was again, the live wire that made every nerve ending in his body tingle and made his dick jump in anticipation. And then she almost killed him when she followed up with one more word. “Please?”  
  
Daryl lost the ability to speak, instead of croaking out a 'yes' he gave her a nod. He wouldn't have been able to describe the feelings that were rushing through him in that moment to save his life. It was a rush, like a mix of anticipation, nervousness, fear, lust and insecurity. When she pressed her lips against his and let her hand trail down his stomach, he suddenly didn't know what to do with his hands anymore. Should he keep them on her ass and thighs or should he let them rest next to him on the bed or cross his arms behind his head? He was at a loss and the worst part was, that Jarah seemed to be able to tell.  
  
She'd felt him get fidgety and nervous energy was radiating off of him in waves. She might not have been as observant as Daryl, but this one was hard to miss. She stopped her hand from traveling down further and gently kissed his lips and let them brush over his cheeks and jaw.  
  
“It's just me, relax,... I'm hella nervous too, you know?”  
  
“You are?” Daryl was surprised. Why was she nervous, she'd done this more than a couple of times.  
  
“Yeah, never know if you'll like what I'm gonna do.” That calmed him down a little. He wasn't the only one with insecurities in this. Her honesty was extremely comforting in that moment and he started to relax.  
  
“I will. No doubt about that.”  
  
“Okay, you wanna stay like this or lay down?”  
  
“Like this is fine, more comfortable for you, too.”  
  
She smiled and while she went back to kissing him she snaked both hands underneath his wife-beater, pulling it up a little on her way up to his chest. She gently rubbed her hands over the hard plane, enjoying how his skin and the little patch of chest hair felt against her palms. He hissed when she brought her hands back to his nipples, the skin-to-skin contact feeling so much better than having her touch him through the cotton. She rolled them between her fingers, pinching and tugging a little. He bucked his hips up against hers, his cock was painfully hard again and begging for attention.  
  
His breath hitched in his throat when her hands left his chest and pulled the waistband of his sweatpants away from his body. The nervous energy returned, but it wasn't nerve-wracking this time, more anticipatory as she carefully released his dick from its confines. It jutted proudly up against his stomach and Jarah's eyes widened involuntarily as she looked down.  
  
'He certainly puts the dick in Dixon!” she thought with a smirk, but refrained from saying so out loud for the moment.  
  
She attacked his mouth to distract him when she noticed a blush spreading on his cheeks while she openly looked at his cock. Daryl rubbed his hands along her sides frantically while she kissed him passionately, but he always stopped the upward motion every time his fingers brushed the swell of her breasts. She gently took hold of his hands and slowly guided them higher.  
  
“You can touch me, too! Anywhere you want!” she breathed against his lips.  
  
She let go of his hands and finally wrapped on of hers around his rock-hard length. The tip was already leaking a few drops of pre-cum and she softly spread it around the head with a circular motion of her thumb. Daryl's eyes slammed shut, his head falling back against the headboard as he groaned and his hands instinctively squeezed her breasts.  
  
Jarah shivered and moaned quietly her hand started to move up and down along his length, rubbing her thumb over the velvety smooth head on every other stroke. He was leaking pre-cum like crazy, it almost turned into a steady stream. She knew he wouldn't last long, but she didn't care. Neither would she once he'd touch her where she needed him most.  
  
She almost shrieked in pleasure and suprise when he took a cue from her and flicked his thumbnails over her soft nipples through her shirt. They hardened instantly and Daryl kept flicking the now rock-hard peaks at a fast pace, because it made her grab his dick harder and pump him faster. He was a fast learner, he already knew that he could control her hand on his dick by the way he was manipulating her nipples. As he went slower and let his thumbs just circle her rosy peaks gently, she eased up as well and kissed him languidly while gently stroking his length, but as soon as he picked up speed, so would she.  
  
He would definitely explore that more later, but now he just felt the overwhelming need to cum, he couldn't hold it back any longer. His hips were bucking into her hand on their own, he tore his mouth away from hers as his breathing became erratic. His thumbs stopped moving, he just squeezed the soft mounds as if seeking purchase as he was about to fall over the egde and go crashing down.  
  
Jarah gripped him harder again and sped up her movements. She focused on stroking the upper portion of his dick during the last stretch, making sure that he'd receive a nice, persistent friction on his tip, which was nice and slippery thanks to the high amount of pre-cum she'd inadvertently coaxed out of him.  
  
Daryl's face was tense and contorted as he focused on the pleasure she was evoking, his hands were gripping her tits almost painfully hard. Close, so fucking close, it was torture. He pushed up on his feet, his hips coming off the bed, trying to push his cock even more into her hand as strained groans were torn from his throat. Jarah brought her free hand up to his chest and with one tug on his nipple he violently came apart. His hips were jerking erratically as thick spurts of hot, creamy fluid landed on Jarah's right hand and ran over her fingers. She loved that feeling. Seconds later his body went limp, his hips sunk back down on the mattress, his legs stretched out and his hands going straight to his hair to hold on to the strands as he tried to catch his breath.  
  
“Holy fuck, girl!”  
  
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	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12  
  
It was Jarah's turn to bite her thumb as she hid her face against his neck with a little giggle, suddenly shy about what they had just done. She noticed that a sticky part of Daryl was still coating her fingers and asked him to had over some tissues from her nightstand. While she wiped her hand clean, Daryl tucked himself back into his pants, still feeling vulnerable being exposed like that. Especially since he was the only one being exposed, Jarah was still wearing his shirt.  
  
They sat in silence for a little while, Daryl wrapped his arms around her, letting her snuggle into his chest while they both let their minds work through their recent activity. One thing was for certain, they were both itching for more. Especially Daryl. He had tasted blood and he wanted to make her feel as good as she had made him, if not better. After what just happened, he knew that he would be able to trust his instincts, that they would guide him, just like they always had in hunting and in life in general. She had given him permission to touch her anywhere he wanted, Now he could do what he'd been wanting to do since he'd met her, explore her beautiful body. He'd just have to get over being a nervous fuck.  
  
“Where you going?” Daryl kept his arms around Jarah as she sat up after a couple of minutes.  
  
“Bathroom, so you better let me go or it won't be pretty!” she giggled as Daryl quickly released her.  
  
“I'm gonna get a drink. Want anything?” Daryl also got off the bed and adjusted his old grey sweatpants. He wanted to get active once they got back to bed and he figured some liquid courage in the form of a Jack and Coke would help calm his nerves a little.  
  
“I'm good, got my water on the nightstand!” She waited until Daryl had left the bedroom to grab a clean pair of panties. The ones she was wearing were soaked from their previous activities and she felt the strong urge to freshen up and put on clean ones in case they would fool around some more. Which she hoped they would.  
  
Daryl took the opportunity to help himself to another cigarette while she was in the bathroom. He'd cut down over the past three weeks, but right now he needed one badly. He opened the window and fixed himself a drink. He took a moment to just enjoy his surroundings and the peace and quiet they had in this house. Back in her apartment, there had always been some kind of noise. Neighbors talking, slamming doors, upstairs neighbors obviously using the floor as a trampoline... There had always been some kind of distraction, but here it was blissfully quiet.  
  
He really felt at home here, she'd created a homey and warm atmosphere and he was able to smell the woods when he opened the window and the sun was shining in his face. A barbecue did sound like a nice idea, her backyard was perfect for that kind of thing. Maybe they'd do it tomorrow if they felt like it. He sighed when he realized just how much he liked being in that house with her. He would never show it on the outside, but on the inside he is very probably going to have a hard time leaving on Sunday night.  
  
“Sorry.” He motioned to the cigarette with a sheepish smile as Jarah came into the kitchen, but stayed close to the doorway.  
  
“Don't worry about it. I used to be a smoker, trust me, if there wouldn't be a baby in my belly I would be right there with you.”  
  
“I didn't know you used to smoke.”  
  
“That one slipped right by you, hm Mr. Observant? Why'd you think I had ashtrays in my apartment?” She teased him good-naturedly and leaned back against the doorjamb with her hands behind her back.  
  
“True, never really thought about why ya had 'em.” He took one more long drag before putting the half-smoked cigarette out.  
  
“Just leave the window open, it's such a nice day!”  
  
“Ya sure? What if the neighbors can hear ya?” He said it without thinking and without knowing if he would even be able to make her feel good enough to get a little louder, but while he'd been smoking he'd noticed that the counter was the perfect height for some stuff he had in mind.  
  
Jarah looked at him in amused surprise and from the look on his face, she knew he hadn't consciously meant to say it.  
  
“Why would the neighbors hear me?” She was curious if he was confident enough to give her the real answer.  
  
“Your voice carries.” he shrugged, but the corners of his mouth were tugged up into a tiny smirk.  
  
“Are you saying I talk too loud? Ass!” She flung the roll of paper towels at him which he caught with ease with one hand while closing the window with the other. Jarah might not mind an audience, but he did. He was grinning as walked up to her and cradled her face in his hands and tilted it up to meet his lips. He loved holding her face in his hands like that, he didn't even know why, but he'd noticed that he was doing it constantly, almost every single time he came home and went up to greet her. He figured that it had to be “his move”. He felt comfortable with it and she seemed to like it, often putting her hands on his wrists, stroking her thumb over the back of his hand before they slid down over his arms.  
  
He tickled Jarah's tongue with his own, making his girl giggle and pull away. He really was a man of action instead of being a man of many words. It seemed like he was expressing himself by kissing more than by talking. Jarah was often able to tell how he felt just by the way he kissed her and how his tongue would tease her. He was being playful right now and she was happy that he was relaxed and didn't seem to feel too shy about their intimate encounter earlier.  
  
Daryl released her shortly after and grabbed his glass and took two big gulps, then he set it down in the sink and moved in to kiss her again, but Jarah quickly dodged him and pressed her hands against his chest to keep him from advancing further.  
  
“Jesus Christ don't! Please for the love of God!” her skin was already covered in goosebumps, leaving Daryl very puzzled as to why she suddenly didn't want him to kiss her.  
  
“The fuck just happened?”  
  
“Sorry, there is one thing you have to know! You can do pretty much anything to me, but whatever you do, don't ever kiss me right after you've had cold liquid in your mouth. I can't stand that feeling! Seriously, it's no joke! My ex used to do that and there might be certain things I am not able to enjoy because of that, so please don't.”  
  
“'Kay.” He was still frowning. What she said was bringing up questions. “That's not the bad thing your ex did to you, is it?”  
  
“No, of course not. It was just one of his quirks. He always had to stop and take a sip of water and then all I felt was dead cold fish.” she shook herself at the mere thought of it. “Brrr, disgusting!”  
  
“So still not ready to tell me about the bad thing?”  
  
“Nope!”  
  
“Then what about the certain things he turned you off of?”  
  
“Nope!”  
  
“Shouldn't I know? 'Cause I don't wanna do somethin' you don't like!”  
  
“No, that was Jackson and Jarah. That's over. Clean slate. Now it's the two of us and we're gonna make our own, new experiences. Okay?”  
  
He was very okay with that. He liked her attitude, she was giving him a chance. Even though he had no idea what it was she hadn't liked, he was allowed to try and make her like it, albeit unknowingly on his part.  
  
“When do you think can I kiss ya again?”  
  
“Should have warmed back up by now. C'mon, give it a try!” She pulled him closer until he bumped into her belly and rose on her toes to meet him halfway. Daryl swept his tongue through her mouth experimentally for the shortest of moments.  
  
“Good to go?” he murmured against her lips and as she nodded he thrust his tongue back in to let it wrestle with hers. He rubbed his hands over her back, gently massaging her a little bit on their downward descent. Once his fingers hit the naked skin of her thighs he moved his hands back up, inching them underneath his shirt she was wearing to cup her tight little ass, he rubbed and squeezed, his right thumb sliding back and forth over her panty-covered crack, all the while pulling her pelvis against his a little more, but her belly prevented them from getting friction.  
  
Daryl never broke the kiss, their tongues chasing and playing with each other was a major turn on he couldn't get enough of, but his neck started to cramp from bending his head the whole time. His hands released her butt and reached for her wrists instead. Her arms were wrapped around his middle, but he brought them up to rest around his neck. Jarah yelped in surprise when her man effortlessly lifted her up by the back of her thighs and set her down on the kitchen counter. That height was much better suited for their make-out session.  
  
His mouth trailed from her lips to her jaw and down to the side of her neck, rubbing his scruff against her skin. He licked a hot trail from her ear down to her shoulder and back before gently biting down above the crook of her neck, while his hands moved the shirt up over her belly.  
  
Jarah hissed and moaned, her fingers firmly knotting in his hair to keep his face pressed to her neck. It was one of her hot spots and she enjoyed some biting in that area quite a bit. She was mewling when he started sucking, the nails of her other hand were raking down his back on their own volition. Daryl didn't even notice, he was busy focusing on his hands that were stroking up over her belly, eager to reach their new destination.  
  
'Fuck!' He groaned when he finally cupped her breasts in his hands. How can anyone feel this good? Her skin was so soft it was ridiculous. This short moment was enough to start a serious addiction for him. He was hooked on the feel of her soft mounds against his rough palms. They were heavier than he'd imagined, but the solid weight felt fucking fantastic resting in his hands. Jarah moaned and arched her back, silently begging him for more.  
  
He responded by sinking his teeth into her neck a little harder paired with letting his thumbs graze her hardening nipples.  
  
“Oh shiiiiit!” She hissed and her whole body jerked hard against him and Daryl felt deep satisfaction at being able to make her do that.  
  
“Don't stop, please.” she moaned, letting her head fall to the side to give him even better access to her neck.  
  
His anxiousness now completely forgotten, Daryl relaxed and let his thumbs graze her peaks again, groaning low in her ear as she wrapped her legs around him pulling him hard against her and grinding her center against his swelling cock. He squeezed her tits more firmly in his hands as his thumbs started circling the hard buds. He started to suck hard on her neck, only to look up with a frown a second later. Something was off. It felt like a hard tiny ball right next to her right nipple. He kept rubbing over it, moving it around a little and Jarah started to keen. Suddenly realization hit him and he knew what it was.  
  
“You got a fucking piercing?” Jarah opened her eyes and nodded her head yes. His expression was unreadable, she couldn't tell whether he liked it or not.  
  
“I think I want ma shirt back now!” he said dryly, confusing the hell out of a still dazed Jarah.  
  
He couldn't even explain why, but he got extremely excited all of a sudden at that little discovery. All he wanted was to see her bare before him. He wanted to play with his new toys. His teeth nipped her ear as his right hand left her breast and tugged on the shirt.  
  
“Think we can get rid of this now?”  
  
She nodded and he didn't waste any time and pulled the offending garment off of her and tossed it as far away as he could and then it was Jarah's turn to blush as he stared at her chest in wonder.  
  
His hands came up to cup her again. The sight of his tanned hands on her perfect tits made his dick swell even more. He was painfully hard and tried to press against her a little harder to relieve some of the tension. His mouth was watering. He wanted to squeeze, lick, bite, suck, tug and pinch and all at once if possible.  
  
“Fucking pretty...” a growl so deep emanated from his mouth that he almost sounded like an animal. It made her pussy clench so hard that she almost came then and there, her voice fetish satisfied like never before.  
  
“Daryl, please...” she was begging him to do SOMETHING. No matter what, as long as he would touch her.  
  
“Lean back.” he rasped and she obliged, putting her hands slightly behind her on the counter to support herself. She held her breath when Daryl's head sunk lower towards her chest only to release it with a loud groan at the feel of his tongue tentatively circling her right nipple. His right hand went to her other breast rolling her hard nipple between his thumb and forefinger, like she'd done to him.  
  
“God yes.” she breathed as her head fell back in pleasure. All those weeks of waiting were finally over and the pay off was so much bigger than she'd ever imagined. What he was doing felt so fucking good she could have screamed and cried in joy.  
  
Daryl enjoyed playing with her, eager to pull more of those sexy sounds from her. He loved how he was able to make her pant, how it was his fingers that made her writhe in pleasure and press herself against him. It was his mouth that made her let out those breathy sounds. He felt in control and he fucking loved it.  
  
He laved her rosy peak with his tongue and toyed with the tiny balls of the barbell that went through her nipple, before he bit down and tugged at her with his teeth.  
  
“Fuuuuuuck!” Jarah shrieked and pulled on his hair hard. She pulled her feet up on the counter, shamelessly grinding her pussy against his bulge all the while pulling his head up, crashing her lips against his and tongue-fucking his mouth in earnest.  
  
“Holy fucking hell, Daryl! You're killing me here.” she panted between kisses and Daryl couldn't help being a little smug.  
  
“That good?” he smirked a little, but that smirk soon vanished as she took hold of his hand and pushed his fingers against her formerly dry panties.  
  
“Yeah, THAT good!” she was panting heavily and shivered as Daryl applied a bit of pressure against her. Suddenly he was gone. She groaned in frustration and opened her eyes again. Daryl stood to the side and held his hand out to her. She took it, still not sure about what was happening, and let him help her off the counter.  
  
“Get that little ass into the bedroom!” he growled and pushed her towards the door.  
  
“You're not coming?” she frowned.  
  
“I'll be right behind you! Go!” He grabbed the bottle of whiskey, just a little more help from his friend Jack Daniels and he'd be good to go. After one swig he closed the bottle back up and stopped in the living room to grab some pillows from the couch. When he entered the bedroom mere seconds later he threw the pillows on the bed with a frown, not understanding why Jarah stood in front of the closet.  
  
He walked up behind her and let his hands glide over her belly and up to cup her breasts. His mouth going to her ear, nipping on the lobe.  
  
“Won't need clothes, girl. You're wearing too much already!” She turned her head to look at him, but her eyes closed when his tongue invaded her mouth for a short, hot wrestling match.  
  
“C'mon.” he pulled her with him over to the bed and started to arrange the pillows in the middle of it.  
  
“What are you doing?”  
  
“I need you to be comfortable laying back for some time and ya can't be flat on your back anymore, right?” Shocks of anticipation shot through her at his words and she had to keep herself from grinning as she got some ideas of what he might want to do.  
  
“Here, try that.” He motioned for her to get on the bed and lay back against the wedge he'd made out of pillows.  
  
“Wow, you're good. This is awesome.” She wriggled around a bit until she found the best position and once that was achieved it was insanely comfortable. For her back at least.  
  
“Good, think ya can stay like this a while?”  
  
“I'm not sure, probably if I can put my legs up. It's kind of awkward with them dangling over the edge.”  
  
“Don't worry about that.”  
  
Next thing she knew he knelt on the floor in front of the bed and carefully lifted each of her legs to rest on his broad shoulders. Her eyes widened and she licked her lips as everything inside of her started to tingle with a pulling sensation deep down in her lower belly. His beautiful face was so fucking close, the fought the urge to pull it against her.  
  
Daryl stroked his hands over her smooth legs, up to her thighs. Once he reached the waistband of her purple satiny panties he hooked his fingers in there and pulled it off her hips and all the way over her ass with one hard jerk, like a magician would pull out a tablecloth from under the dishes. He pulled them off all the way then, letting them drop to the floor next to him and then there she was, all open and bare to his eyes.  
  
Once again Merle had been right. This was his very first time being up close and personal with a pussy and it really was a little intimidating, but more than anything he was curious and eager to explore. Quickly banishing his older brother from his mind Daryl took a moment to slide his hands over her thighs while he looked at her. She was so pretty, like a painting. All pink and soft and just beautiful and also, very wet. After all the talk about eating pussy at the bar and him worrying that she might expect it from him, he was more than a little surprised that right now he actually couldn't wait to get his mouth on her.  
  
His hands slowly slid higher until his thumbs were able to rub along her outer lips, causing Jarah to take a very deep breath. He gently parted her a little bit while his mind went back to all the movies he'd seen over the years. He knew he had to look for a little nub close to the top. His right thumb traced down and to the middle, gently dipping into her wetness. Jarah moaned and tried to move her hips to push him deeper, but Daryl had other plans. He moved his wet thumb up through her folds slowly, carefully watching for a reaction.  
  
Suddenly her whole body jerked, a little scream emanating from her mouth and Daryl knew he'd found the right spot. He pressed his thumb against it once more just to be sure, eliciting another moan. He smirked a little. Yeah, he'd found the right spot. He let his thumb dip down into her wetness again before he brought it back up and started rubbing tight little wet circles around her clit, while his mouth placed kisses along her inner thighs, alternating between licking,sucking and biting here and there.  
  
Jarah was in heaven, she couldn't believe that this man was supposed to be so shy and inexperienced. Either Merle had been lying or Daryl was a natural. She'd expected clumsy fingers fumbling around down there, but Daryl was obviously not THAT unfamiliar with the anatomy and seemed to know what he'd have to do. But then again, she shouldn't be surprised. It was easy to forget that they weren't teenagers. Both of them had seen movies and read magazines and stuff like that. For her it had been the same when she started fooling around with Jackson. She'd read articles on what guys like, how things worked. She knew what to do, she'd just never done it before. Same probably went for Daryl.  
  
She got distracted by her thoughts, something that just always happened with her, even during sex and thus she grew quieter, worrying Daryl a little. Maybe she needed more pressure? He pressed against her a little firmer and sucked a little harder on her thigh.  
  
“That good?” he mumbled almost unintelligibly against her thigh, successfully bringing her out of her thoughts.  
  
“Yeah, it's nice!” she gasped quietly, making Daryl frown. Nice? Nice wasn't something he was shooting for. Was she bored? She seemed a little distracted.  
  
“You okay? Need to move?”  
  
“No I'm great. I'm so sorry, I just thought about how good it is and my mind wandered off. I should have told you before that it happens. I don't know if it's a mild case of ADD or something. I just have to focus...” she kept rambling on, afraid that she'd hurt his feelings. She removed her legs from his shoulders and sat up, putting her hands on his cheeks and kissing him and reassuring him.  
  
“It felt really great, seriously! I was just thinking about how good it felt and that you had to be a natural and then I just jumped from thought to thought to thought. I'm sorry, I never told you it was this bad, my mind thingy, I mean.” Daryl wasn't hurt at all. He was actually pretty amused by the whole thing. He knew he could make her feel good, he had gotten a glimpse of it a couple of minutes ago, but it really seemed like her head got in the way.  
  
“Okay, I believe you. Question is, how do I keep you out of your own head? Especially right now?”  
  
Jarah looked at him in surprise. Jackson had never asked her that. He'd just accepted it and kept going, but Daryl actually wanted to do something about it. He was just amazing.  
  
“I don't know, it doesn't ALWAYS happen,... I mean you noticed when it happened right now, didn't you? Maybe you just gotta give me a pinch or something.”  
  
“Nah, I wanna keep it from happening at all. Don't want you wanderin' off on me when we do this. What's it gonna take?”  
  
“I really don't know, Daryl. Can't we figure it out later and get back to what we were doing?”  
  
He looked at her for a moment in silence. Then he put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in for a searing hot kiss, that had her toes curling. Suddenly his hand was back between her legs, three fingertips were pressing down on her clit, rubbing all around the area, making her gasp and moan into the kiss.  
  
“You DO like that, don't ya?” He mumbled against her lips and Jarah nodded frantically.  
  
“Yeah, it's really really good.” she gasped, her breath heaving.  
  
“Good, then we best start figuring out a way for you to enjoy this right til the end every single time, 'cause I'm not gonna do this anymore until we've come up with something that works. We waited three fucking weeks, another three weeks won't kill us.”  
  
Panic started to rise inside of her and she quickly put her hand on his to keep it working between her legs. He couldn't stop now, if he did, he might actually kill her after all.  
  
“NO, no no no no, please, don't stop! Please, Daryl anything, just don't stop! I'm so close!” she begged like she was pleading for her life.  
  
Daryl was surprised. She was close? Already? He'd barely touched her. Pride swelled up inside of him and his confidence also got a little boost and suddenly it hit him. She liked his voice. A lot. And she kept squirming more and more against his fingers while he talked. Maybe that might be the key? If he interacted with her and kept her engaged that would keep her from getting stuck in her head. The only downside was, that it required him to talk, something he didn't like doing too much, but in here it might help them along.  
  
He was sure he'd feel like a fool at first, but he'd sworn to himself to take care of his girl in every aspect of her life and this was part of that. He was a man, damnit, HER man, he would do anything for her. It was a weekend of many firsts, so why not try this, too while they were at it?  
  
“Back down on your back, girl!”  
  
Jarah obliged and leaned back against the pillows, helping him raise her legs and put the back over his shoulders.  
  
“Better stay with me this time or I'll fucking stop, ya hear me?” he kept his voice gruff on purpose and it seemed to work, even her thighs were shaking now. She nodded and let her eyes fall shut, to be able to zero-in on him better.  
  
Daryl gripped her legs hard when he got another glimpse at her pussy, now that she was open to his eyes once more. She seemed to be even wetter than before. Holy fuck how much he wanted to bury himself in there, his tongue, his fingers, his dick, he just wanted to surround himself with her in every way possible.  
  
He coated his thumb in her liquid heat again and spread it over her clit, slowly rubbing back and forth.  
  
“Oh shit, Daryl, please!” Jarah moaned and bucked her hips. She couldn't take him going slow right now.  
  
“Please what?”  
  
“Faster.”  
  
“Like that?” he picked up just a little bit of speed, his dick throbbing at the loud moan of his name that left her mouth.  
  
“Talk to me!” he slowed down again when she didn't respond to his question.  
  
“Yeah like that! Faster, oh fuck, Daryl, just like that!”  
  
He kept going at a steady pace for a moment, letting her push against his hand. It was obvious she wanted him to go faster, but he wasn't ready to let her cum yet, not without getting a taste first.  
  
He licked his left thumb and quickly replaced his right one that had been rubbing her, he needed his dominant hand for other things now. With his index and middle finger he gently spread her a little wider, seeking out her opening, his eyes feasting on the sight before he slid his index finger to the moist orifice.  
  
“Want that in there?” he rasped against her heated flesh while the tip of his finger teasingly circled her hole.  
  
“Yes. Please!” she gasped and tried to buck up harder so she could push his finger in on her own.  
  
“Tell me. Tell me what you want me to do.” Daryl felt a little weird talking to her like that while they were doing this, but he had to admit, it also turned him on more than he thought it would.  
  
Jarah opened her eyes and looked at him, she was blushing, clearly embarrassed about voicing out loud what she wanted him to do. Daryl knew what she felt like, but she'd have to get over it, just like he had to, it would pay off if she did.  
  
“C'mon, I wanna hear ya say it, or I'll stop!” he was keeping his voice softer this time, trying to coax her into giving in.  
  
“I want...” she started hesitantly. This was new to her, not unpleasant, just new and a little hurdle she had to overcome for the first time. She took a deep breath and let herself focus on the motions of his thumb on her clit again, drowning out her embarrassment.  
  
“I want your finger inside of me.” she moaned, making Daryl groan himself, the words were tugging straight at his balls. “And I want you to fuck me hard and fast with it.”  
  
He slowly slipped his finger in and almost lost it. She was so hot and wet, her muscles were clenching his fingers tightly, not willing to let him go. He didn't know why, but damn, he hadn't expected her to be so tight. Maybe because the baby and all, which was just silly he now realized.  
  
“Mmmmmm yesssss” His finger was much bigger than her own, having him in there was so much better than using her own hands. She couldn't stand it this teasing any longer just wanted to ride his finger and cum and cum and cum, but she was in no position to do so with her legs hooked over his shoulders.  
  
Daryl didn't fuck her hard and fast, he explored her slowly, twisting and turning his finger inside of her, consistently driving her closer to losing her mind.  
  
“Can ya handle two?” he asked while he slipped his finger back out of her.  
  
“If I couldn't we'd never be able to fuck, baby!” She giggled a little, he seemed to have forgotten about the size of his own cock.  
  
“Smartass!” he smirked and out of reflex gave her a tiny light slap directly on top of her clit. She released a little scream as her eyes slammed shut and her hips jerked.  
  
“Holy fuck. Daryl I beg you, I can't take much more!”  
  
“You wanna cum?” Two fingers circled her opening this time, just waiting to thrust in.  
  
“YES, please!” her hips were moving frantically, she was desperate.  
  
“Ask me for it!”  
  
“Make me cum, Daryl, please!”  
  
The two fingers slipped home, as deep inside of her as they could. The feeling of her walls stretching to accommodate his fingers felt amazing to both of them, Daryl could only imagine what it would feel like against his dick.  
  
He was done teasing, he wanted his fix of her and he wanted her to come screaming his name. His left thumb that had continued to manipulate her clit was now used to carefully pull back the little hood that was covering the throbbing nub. He began to move his fingers in and out of her at a steady, hard pace just as the tip of his tongue touched down directly on her exposed clit.  
  
She screamed, her fingers clawing into his hair as he flicked the tip of his tongue back and forth over her with firm strokes. He stopped and licked a long line all the way down to meet his fingers, just wanting a little taste before he got her off, but as soon as her wetness hit his tongue he couldn't get enough. She tasted fantastic, she was a fucking drug. He pulled his fingers out and buried his tongue inside of her, literally eating her out like he was a starving man.  
  
“Fuck, Daryl please... keep rubbing please! So fucking close, don't stop now!” Jarah was mewling, tightly grabbing her own tits now, letting her fingers toy with her nipple and her piercing. If Daryl had looked up he probably would have cum right then and there, but he was lost in her taste, his tongue thrusting in and out of her rhythmically sweeping her walls, collecting every drop he could get. He moved his hand back to her clit, rubbing his thumb over it as fast as he could and just a couple of seconds later, she was finally there.  
  
Her whole body bowed up, all muscles locked for a second before releasing the tension in violent shudders. Daryl got his wish, she screamed his name, the rest were unintelligible moans and groans as she jerked and shivered. As her pussy convulsed around Daryl's tongue he greedily drank her down, his free hand reaching into his sweatpants. Five nice and hard tugs was all it took for him to spill himself over his pants and on the floor.  
  
Jarah slowly came back to earth. Daryl's head was resting on her thigh and he gently rubbed her belly all the while placing soft kisses against it. The baby seemed to be sleeping, not at all bothered by their little adventure. Good to know.  
  
“Wow, that was...” She couldn't find the right word for it. Nothing seemed fitting.  
  
“Yeah.” Daryl's suddenly shy voice sounded from her lower half. He didn't know what had come over him. He felt like he'd behaved like an animal and the way he'd talked to her? Shit he felt embarrassed by that now. He was sure she'd be pissed at him.  
  
“Hey,” Jarah threaded her fingers through his hair, tugging on it a little to make him look up at her. And there he was, the lip-chewing little boy who didn't know where to look. Damn he was adorable. She gave him a big smile. “That was the most amazing thing ever!”  
  
“Yeah?” he was relieved. Things were okay, thank God, 'cause he actually wanted to do that again.  
  
“Yeah, come up here and let me take care of you!” Daryl blushed and looked down at the mess he'd made.  
  
“Uhm,... it's already taken care of...” he spied the box of tissues on her nightstand and grabbed a couple to wipe the floor clean.  
  
“Really? Okay, that's hot!”  
  
“You don't mind?”  
  
“Not at all. It's good. Really good. Now come here.”  
  
He crawled up on the bed and straddled her, quickly removing the pillows behind her back and pulling her further onto the bed with one arm, making her grin.  
  
“Have I ever told you how sexy that is? That you can move me around like a rag doll without breaking a sweat?”  
  
“It's nothing!” He shrugged and laid down next to her on his side, facing her. She scooted closer and hooked one leg over his and kissed him deeply, trying to get as close as possible with her belly in the way.  
  
“By the way, that was the thing Jackson turned me off of. Sorry to bring him up, just thought you might want to know.”  
  
“Really?” He looked at her in surprise, he didn't think anything could turn a woman off of that, but apparently the good doctor might not know everything. He cleared his throat and watched his fingers stroke over her arm, not daring to look her in the eyes while he asked. “But you liked it now, when I did it?”  
  
“Couldn't you tell?” she grinned, he was so cute when he went shy.  
  
“Guess so,... So I can do it again sometime?”  
  
“Hell yeah, if it was up to me you could do it all day long. I loved it, really!” She yawned and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I'm beat. You wore me out. Can we take a nap?”  
  
He nodded, feeling like he could use one himself. “Sure.”  
  
He pulled the covers over them and laid back to let her snuggle into his chest, wrapping both of his strong arms around her.  
  
“See ya in a little bit.” he whispered against her forehead, but she was already asleep, Daryl soon following.  
  
########### ######## ######### ######## #######  
  



	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
Jarah carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, placing the plate and the glass she had brought in with her on the nightstand before she leaned down and placed gentle kisses all over Daryl's face.  
  
“Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead.”  
  
“What time is it?” he grumbled without opening his eyes.  
  
“2 pm. C'mon, I miss you and I brought food.” That brought a little smile to his face. Not the food part, but the I miss you-part. He sat up blindly and rubbed his eyes and when he opened them he was disappointed to see that she was dressed.  
  
She placed a kiss on his lips and grabbed the plate with the sandwich to hand it over to him.  
  
“I thought after you're done we could go out for a walk. It's beautiful out right now. Maybe pick up some Chinese for dinner?”  
  
“Chinese? You sure? Don't know if I like that funky stuff!” He mumbled around his mouthful of sandwich.  
  
“Are you telling me you never had Chinese before?”  
  
“Nah, prefer my cats and dogs alive and furry.”  
  
“That's not funny. It's really good food. C'mon try it. I'm really jonesing for some crispy duck!”  
  
“Gimme an hour, I'll go down to the pond and get ya your crispy duck without that weird bamboo shoot crap in there.”  
  
“Nope, no way. I'll pop your Chinese cherry tonight. You can thank me later! Hey I thought maybe we could invite Nat and Merle over for dinner, what do you think?”  
  
“If you wanna invite Merle you most definitely won't be serving Chinese tonight, that's what I think. He'll fling that stuff against the walls.”  
  
“Geez, what's with you guys? Alright, have it your way. Wanna christen the grill, then? Make some burgers, couple of steaks? I can call Nat, she can make a salad, I'll make another one, we'll hit the store while we're out, get some stuff, some beers... What about that?”  
  
“Now we're talking!” That sounded so much better to Daryl's ears than funky duck with a side of rice.  
  
They both made their calls and both, Merle and Nat agreed to come. Jarah was really looking forward to it, the last time they all hung out and had dinner was so nice, she hoped this night would turn out like that as well.  
  
“Jimmy and his wife wanna get together some time. She's pregnant, too and got all kinds of questions and shit. Would like to talk to you.” Daryl told her while he changed into his black jeans and put on his sleeveless olive-colored shirt.  
  
“Oh,... okay.” Jarah wasn't too eager about that. She hated meeting women she didn't know. “Do you know her? What's she like?”  
  
“Met her a couple of times. Seems nice, didn't talk much when I saw her.”  
  
“Okay, guess it can be arranged next week or so. It's up to you.”  
  
“I'll talk to Jimmy, see when they're free. Ready to go?”  
  
##### ##### ###### ##### ###### ####### #########  
  
After taking their walk and shopping for their barbeque Daryl stood in the kitchen and watched Jarah chop up cucumbers and tomatoes for her salad. He had developed a weird fascination with watching her cook, even if she was just making a salad or a sandwich. He loved watching her hands work.  
  
When he went to get himself a soda from the fridge he noticed some papers stuck to it with a magnet.  
  
“What's this?” he asked, making Jarah looked over to see what he meant.  
  
“That's the birth plan worksheet Stephanie wants me to fill out.”  
  
Ah yes, that would bring up some interesting points they would have to talk about. Now after spending more time with her Daryl was even more hell-bent on being there for her when she gave birth. Wasn't like he hadn't seen every part of her by now, if that was part of what she was worried about, hell he'd even promise her not to look down there if she didn't want him to, just as long as she would let him stay with her in that room. Although it would be hard not to look. He chuckled internally, thinking back about what they'd done earlier.  
  
'Only thing the doctor said I wasn't supposed to do was stick my tongue in her! Had something to do with accidentally blowing air in there or something. Could be dangerous.' Frank Carter's voice suddenly echoed through Daryl's head. He almost dropped his glass, his face was ashen as he looked at Jarah with a panicked expression on his face.  
  
“Jarah? Do you feel okay?”  
  
She looked over at him, her eyes widening when she took in his pale face.  
  
“Am I okay? Are YOU okay? Baby, what's wrong? Do you need to sit down?”  
  
“The boy, has he moved since we... you know?”  
  
“Yeah, he's moving around just like he always does. Why? Are you worried you hurt him somehow? You didn't!” Jarah didn't understand why he was worried NOW, hours after they had done it.  
  
“Old Man Carter, from the bar, he said something, when we first started seeing each other. Said not to stick my tongue in you,... not THERE. Doctor told him it was dangerous, because he could blow air in there.”  
  
“You talked about you sticking your tongue in me?” Somehow she found that thought utterly amusing.  
  
“Could you fucking focus here? I could have killed your baby! Or you or both, I don't know!” he started yelling at her, he would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to them now, just because he hadn't been able to control himself.  
  
“Daryl calm down. My doctor never told me anything about that and we are both doing fine. It's been hours. We're okay. Please relax.”  
  
“You sure?”  
  
“Yes, we're fine, really. Here, feel!” She took his hands and placed them on her belly and Daryl relaxed visibly when he felt the familiar thumping against his hands.  
  
“Not doin' it anymore 'til he's out though. Better safe than sorry!”  
  
“Fair enough.” she rose up to kiss him and when she sunk back down on her feet she frowned. “Now when you say, you're not gonna do it anymore, you just mean the whole sticking-your-tongue-in-thing only, right? You're not gonna stop the outside-parts-thing, too, right? Right?”  
  
“Liked it that much, huh?” Daryl couldn't help but smirk with pride, especially since she used to hate receiving oral.  
  
“Well yeah. And it would make me kinda sad to have to give it up again that quickly.” She was fucking cute when she was pouting. He kissed the pout right off her lips and gave her a little grin.  
  
“Outside-parts-thing will work. Don't worry. Now, birth plan. Wanna go through it?” He grabbed the four pages and started to look through the questions.  
  
“Don't know, probably better to take some time to go through it and think about stuff.” She shrugged, hoping he would let it go. She knew some things in there would cause some lengthy discussions and she didn't feel like having them right now.  
  
“What's the difference between a birthing stool and a birthing chair? Squatting bar? Thought you give birth in a bed?” Daryl was puzzled by all the labor props they had listed.  
  
“That's one option, but doctors often say that sitting is better because of gravity helping the baby come out easier or something like that. I don't know.”  
  
“Well shouldn't you know by now?” he was surprised that she hadn't taken the time to get more informed about it until now.  
  
“That's what Stephanie is for. I know I'm late to the game, I just had other things on my mind.”  
  
“They have massage listed under pain relief. That's something I can do...” he looked up at her from under his lashes, watching her sigh deeply.  
  
“Daryl...”  
  
“What? You know I can. It also says breathing techniques. That's that panting shit, right? I can learn to help with that, too.”  
  
“Not talking about this right now!”  
  
“Okay, then tell me what that epidural thing is. It's listed as regional analgesia.”  
  
“It's what it says. Regional whatever!”  
  
“There's more to it, you didn't want Nat to tell me.” He narrowed his eyes at her. He knew it would be something he wouldn't like or else Jarah wouldn't have kept Nat from telling him.  
  
He didn't get an answer, he only got an annoyed Jarah who ripped the pages out of his hand and stuck them back to the fridge.  
  
“You should probably get the grill ready, I'm sure our guests will arrive shortly.”  
  
“Fine, but I'm telling you, we're not done talking about this!” he grabbed a beer from the fridge and stomped outside, hating that she was so stubborn about the whole thing, while Jarah took her frustrations out on another cucumber, chopping it way harder than necessary.  
  
####### ####### ####### ####### ###### #######  
  
Nat was good at picking up on the atmosphere in a room. It only took a couple of seconds upon entering Jarah's home that she noticed the tension in the air.  
  
“Hey, I'm here!” she called out from the living room.  
  
“Kitchen!” She heard Jarah yell back and followed her voice into the room where the pregnant woman was scrubbing her cutting board.  
  
“Hey, there you are. Wow, you look pretty in that dress.” Nat smiled at Jarah, but didn't get a smile in return.  
  
“Thanks.”  
  
“What's up? Thought you and loverboy would be floating on cloud nine right now?”  
  
“It's nothing. He's just getting on my nerves with the whole birth plan thing and him wanting to be there and shit.”  
  
“Wow.” Natalie leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest while giving Jarah a stern look. “I don't think I ever wanted to whip your pretty ass as much as I wanna do it right now!”  
  
“Excuse me???” Jarah sputtered in surprise, not sure if she heard right.  
  
“You have a guy, who cares about you, who wants to be there for you and wants to make sure that you'll be well taken care of in that not very pleasant situation that giving birth is gonna be. And what do you do? You crap all over it! Do you know how many women would kill for what you have? To have a husband or a boyfriend who cared as much as Daryl? And it's not even his kid! Are you actively trying to push him away? Do you really wanna do all this on your own? You'll be in a huge amount of pain, they are not going to give you painkillers right away, you know? Did you even know that for some mothers an epidural won't work if the anesthetist can't find a good spot? Yeah, didn't know that, did you? You'll be completely overwhelmed and the nurses won't care. They do this every day, to them you're just another whiny patient. You'll be alone in that room for the most part, only Stephanie will be there if I can't make it and you know pretty damn well that the chances that I'm gonna make it are pretty slim to none. And do you care particularly much for Stephanie? Will she be able to give you love and emotional support and kick your ass when you need it? Because very clearly, you do need a good ass kicking from time to time. Your fucking parents screwed your life up so much that you can't even see a good thing when it's right in front of you.”  
  
“Jesus Christ, Nat, relax. I got the message, okay?”  
  
“No, not okay. Don't tell me what you think I wanna hear. Stop being like this. Daryl is not gonna run, you hear me? You know I would be the first to tell you if I thought he would. He wants to be there, so let him fucking be there and be freaking grateful that he's in your life. Let him help you for fuck's sake. How often do we have to tell you that you don't have to do things alone all the time anymore? That's over, Jarah! Get it in that thick head of yours. God I could just strangle you right now, you're being so fucking stupid.”  
  
“DAMN, Lil Bit. You're even hotter when you're angry. That was some verbal beat down. What's the matter, Shorty. Ya gonna cry now?”  
  
“Shut the fuck up, Merle!” Daryl elbowed Merle hard in the ribs. They'd come in from the backyard to get the meat when they heard Nat start her rant and couldn't help but listen in.  
  
“Awesome.” Jarah rolled her eyes and looked down at the cutting board, not daring to look at Daryl.  
  
“C'mon Dixon, you better get me a beer to cool me off or you're next!” She went over to him and grabbed his arm to pull him with her out to the backyard.  
  
“How 'bout I spray you down with the hose instead? That shirt you're wearing will look even better soaking wet, I bet!”  
  
Their voices got quieter until they were completely out of earshot and before an awkward silence could settle over them, Daryl stepped closer to stand next to her and gently touched her hand with his index finger, trying to see if she would take his hand.  
  
“She's right. You know that, don't you?” his voice was soft, he didn't want her to shut down completely, scared that it would happen if he'd talk too loudly. She intertwined her fingers with his and squeezed his hand.  
  
“I know she is.”  
  
“You gonna listen to her, then?”  
  
“I want to. Really I do, but...”  
  
“But what?”  
  
“I'm just scared, alright?”  
  
“That I'll leave ya? It's not gonna happen.”  
  
“You don't know that, Daryl!”  
  
“That's where you're wrong! I'm damn fucking sure of it. I KNOW, alright? I'm 36 and you're my first girlfriend and not because no one's ever been interested before. That should tell you enough. I didn't do fucking relationships, I didn't do fucking feelings. It's always been just Merle and me and I was fine with that. Until you came along. You changed the whole fucking game and I let you, because I wanted you to. This little thing here, it works and where I am concerned it's gonna keep going until the day I kick it. Even if you wake up one day and decide that you no longer feel like keeping me around, I won't ever be able to get you out. There won't ever be anyone else for me. Just you. You remember how you told me I wouldn't get anything out of this relationship once he's here? Fucking wrong again. I get YOU! No matter how fucking hard it's gonna be, no matter how tired we're gonna be, at the end of the day, I get you, alright? So like your friend said, get that in that thick head of yours. I am not fucking leaving. EVER!”  
  
The whole thing came out more rude than he'd intended it to, by the end of it he even got in her face a little, but hey, he'd needed to get that frustration out and also Daryl had no experience with these kind of talks, so she couldn't expect him to be good at it.  
  
Jarah looked at him stunned, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Her friends had some strong, emotional reactions for her in store that day, it was a little overwhelming. Although what Daryl said had been really sweet, the yelling had taken her aback a little. Nobody liked being yelled at. Whether it was meant well or not.  
  
“You get all that? Or do ya need me to write it down for ya?” Her silence made his temper flare up even more.  
  
“I got it! Please calm down. I get it. But it's not just that, Daryl.” She mumbled, her voice hoarse.  
  
“Then what else?”  
  
“I am SO scared of going into labor and giving birth. I can't even think about it, I start crying and shaking. That's why I don't wanna talk about it, why I don't want to read that birth plan thing, I just can't. I wanna run away from it until the last possible minute.” Her tears flowed freely down her cheeks now, a couple of sobs shaking her small frame. She looked fucking terrified and it broke Daryl's heart. He wasn't sorry about what he'd said, but he was sorry for yelling at her. He pulled her to him and pressed her against his chest, letting her cry in his arms.  
  
“I know you're scared, girl. It is fucking scary, just listening to some of that stuff makes me wanna grab ya and build a time machine or something so you can skip that hard part.” She let out a laugh, the image of Daryl Dixon trying to build a time machine was too funny. “But hey, maybe that whole being scared thing is so bad, because ya thought you were gonna do it all alone. You won't. I'll be there and I won't leave, no matter what happens. Even if shit goes wrong and they need to cut him out, I'll be in there with ya. You won't be alone at all, ya hear me?”  
  
“I do, but you've got work. You can't just leave!”  
  
“I can. It's not like it is with Nat. A couple of wooden boards can wait to be cut to size. She's got people to take care of. I can talk to my boss, he's cool, he'll understand. Just had a baby, too with his wife. But maybe he won't even keep me on anyway after we're done with the building. Then I'll definitely be free. Whatever happens, if I'm not there and you think the baby's coming, you call me and I'll come racin'.”  
  
“I don't deserve you.” Jarah looked up at him adoringly, her tears starting to dry up.  
  
“Shut up!” he smiled, a little uncomfortable with the praise she was giving him.  
  
“No, you really are the best boyfriend.”  
  
“I hate that word, by the way! Boyfriend. Girlfriend, too. Can I just call ya something else?”  
  
“Yeah, sure. You're right boyfriend and girlfriend sounds like teenagers.”  
  
“What ya want me to call ya?”  
  
“Honey bunny.” it shot right out of her making Daryl scoff with a little laugh.  
  
“NOT calling you fucking honey bunny. What's that supposed to be anyway?”  
  
“I don't know.” she laughed. “I just called my baby that all the time when I found out I was pregnant. Just came out of nowhere.”  
  
“You're weird.” he smirked.  
  
“So are you. It's why this little thing with us works so well.” They smiled at each other and Jarah reached out to brush some strands of hair out of his eyes. “Just say 'partner'. It's what I say when I'm at the doctor's office or something.”  
  
“Partner? Don't like it. Sounds too formal.”  
  
“Well, when I'm alone and think about you, I think of you as my wolf, actually. You always remind me of a wolf.” She blushed a little when she shared that little secret with him.  
  
“Wolf, huh?” he grinned. He really liked the sound of that. “That make you my bitch?”  
  
“Technically, yeah, but it would be great if you'd come up with something else. My hormones might not be able to take you calling me that outside of the bedroom during the pregnancy!”  
  
“It's allowed in the bedroom?”  
  
“Depends on the situation I guess. Whatever, it's not important, just keep saying 'girl' or 'woman' or whatever and now take this outside. We can't let our guests wait too long!” she smiled, pushing two big plates with meat towards him.  
  
“They can wait two more minutes!” he mumbled as he pulled her back and backed her up against the fridge. His hands went up to her face and Jarah grinned, knowing what was about to come, a hot little tongue-wrestling match. Daryl's hands didn't stay on her face long, gliding down to cup her breasts through the thin fabric of her maxi-dress, flicking his thumbs against her nipples.  
  
“Can you take it to the bedroom? That's our food right next to you!” Daryl froze when he heard Nat's voice and quickly released Jarah like she was a hot potato.  
  
“I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be right out!” Jarah giggled and pushed past a mortified Daryl. Nat just smiled, trying to get him to relax.  
  
“We are all adults, Daryl. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Now come on, your brother is hungry and about to start a riot.”  
  
“Hold on! I need your help with something!” Daryl left the kitchen and quickly fetched Jarah's laptop from the coffee table.  
  
“Here, show me how I can look for stuff on this internet thing.”  
  
Natalie frowned as she opened the browser for him, Daryl watching closely.  
  
“Why don't you ask Jarah?”  
  
“It's a surprise, don't want her to find out, so don't say anything. Can ya do that?” He might have tweaked the truth a little on that one.  
  
“Okay, as long as it's nothing bad. You should know that she doesn't like surprises.”  
  
“It's nothing big and nothing bad. So how do I do this?”  
  
“You click on that, and then you type what you are looking for in that field and press this key. Then you click on what you wanna read or watch or whatever.”  
  
“Kay, thanks.” They heard the bathroom door opening and Daryl quickly slammed the laptop shut and put it back on the coffee table before Jarah was able to notice he'd taken it. Then he went to join Merle at the grill outside to get their food started while the girls sat at the table chatting about some TV show.  
  
###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ##### ######  
  
“You know, Lil Bit, Ol' Merle usually don't do salads, but this one is damn good!”  
  
Daryl and Jarah smirked at each other. Merle had been surprisingly docile so far and he kept paying these little hidden compliments to Nat and they had a blast watching the show.  
  
“Thanks Merle, I won't ever be as good as Jarah though. See these thighs and hips? Got her to blame for it. We lived together for a year and a half and she cooked this awesome stuff for me all the time. I used to be pretty skinny until then and now her freaking brownies are on my hips for the rest of my life.”  
  
“Well Shorty, remind me to throw you a parade for creating that fucking masterpiece.” Merle grinned.  
  
“Did Merle just pay ME a compliment? Did you put something in his beer, baby?” Jarah laughed, amazed at the effect Nat always seemed to have on Merle.  
  
“Nah, it's all on her!” he pointed his steak knife towards Nat.  
  
“So the two of ya lived together? Did y'all have naughty sleepovers in your rooms and stuff?”  
  
“Yeah, a lot actually. Fooled around with each other a couple of times, too. Little kissing, little petting here and there.” Nat replied casually while she cut into her steak.  
  
Daryl almost choked on his steak, while Merle's fork clattered down on the table. Both men gaping at Nat while Jarah tried to keep in her laughter. She only succeeded for a couple of seconds before she couldn't hold it in any longer, tears forming at the corner of her eyes from laughing so hard.  
  
“Their faces,... oh my God,... priceless!” she held her stomach trying to catch her breath and wishing she would have had a camera ready to capture those expressions.  
  
“I'm kidding, guys! Jesus, what is it with men and lesbians?” Nat shook her head with a laugh.  
  
“Well Shorty over there ain't ma type, but still the two of ya getting it on would be the hottest thing in the world ta watch!” Merle had to visibly shake himself in order to get those images out of his head or he would start lifting the table without using his hands.  
  
“Never gonna happen, Merle. Only in your head!” Nat giggled, getting a kick out of slightly flustered Merle.  
  
“That reminds me, Lil Bit, how's Bob doin'? He gonna need a hand to help out anytime soon?”  
  
“Oh he's doing great, Merle. Just got a fresh pair of batteries so he's good to go for another two weeks, sorry.”  
  
“That's a damn shame, Lil Bit. Girl like you needs a real man to take care of ya, not some plastic dick toy!”  
  
“I agree, but unfortunately there's a lot of guys out there who just don't know how to handle me, you know? A cook in the kitchen, a lady in the parlor and a whore in the bedroom. Know that saying? I live by that saying and I expect certain things and so far only a few have been able to meet my expectations.”  
  
“So you're a though nut to crack, huh?”  
  
“Guess so. You gotta earn your place as the man in my life, but I can promise you, the pay off is huge!” She grinned and Merle was clearly intrigued. She was definitely a challenge, but he'd never been one to wanna work all that much for things he wanted. He liked having them fall into his lap without lifting a finger. If he was serious about wanting to have Nat around, he would have to make an effort for once and he wasn't quite sure yet if it was worth the work, yet.  
  
####### ###### ###### ####### ###### #####  
  
Merle and Nat left around 9 pm, after Nat had helped Jarah to clean up, so she could spend the rest of the night with Daryl without having to worry about an untidy kitchen.  
  
“I think I wanna take a bath. Soak my back a little. That okay?” Usually she wouldn't have minded having Daryl take a bath with her, but right now she felt like taking half an hour out of their day just for herself to relax a little.  
  
“Sure, I'll watch some TV or something. When you're done we'll get on that birth plan, alright? It's time.” he squeezed her hands gently and kissed her forehead. He knew she was scared, but it had to be done and being prepared would help take some of that fear away.  
  
“Okay, you're right. I won't be too long.” She sent him a little smile and left for the bathroom. She was really grateful that Daryl was taking matters into his own hands, because she just couldn't right now and it needed to be done. She needed him to push her, Nat had been right about that. Still, panic rose inside of her at the thought of having to face all those things she didn't want to think about. Now she'd need that bath more than ever to calm herself down.  
  
As soon as Daryl heard the water running he grabbed her laptop and opened the search engine, like Nat had shown him earlier. He used both index fingers, letting them hover over the keyboard until he found the right letter to press and typed “epidural video” into the search field before pressing the key Nat had pointed out to let the computer start the search. It only took a second for the results to show up. He clicked on the link to a video called “Getting an Epidural” and started watching.  
  
One and a half minutes in, he almost threw up. The doc was taking a thick needle that looked to be about 4 inches long to that woman's spine. Daryl wasn't squeamish by a long shot, but imagining Jarah getting that thing stuck into her freaking spine was something Daryl couldn't take. The woman in the video was wincing and trying to jerk away from the needle even though the doc had given her a shot of lidocaine. That shit had to fucking hurt.  
  
He closed the video, he didn't need to see the rest, and started the search engine back up. Next on his list was “epidural risks”. After ten minutes of reading he was convinced that an epidural was the worst thing in the world. Too many shit that could happen even hours after Jarah had given birth and it also doubled the risk of a c-section or that shit where they cut her open to make room for the head. He shuddered at the thought of someone taking a pair of scissors to her pussy. He wouldn't let that happen.  
  
He closed the laptop and decided it was time for another drink. That video had made him sick to his stomach. He grabbed his smokes, a glass of whiskey and went outside to get some fresh air for a couple of minutes until she was done taking her bath.  
  
##### ###### ###### ###### ###### ######  
  
“So, first up is attendants. 'I'd like the following people to be present during labor and/or birth'. I'm putting my name under partner. Okay?” Daryl looked at her for confirmation.  
  
“Okay, go ahead.”  
  
“I'm gonna put Nat under friends and Stephanie under doula. Sure you wanna keep her around?” Daryl still didn't like her and thought they might do better with somebody else.  
  
“Yes, I wanna keep her. What's next?”  
  
“I'd like to: bring music?”  
  
“No, probably can't focus on it anyway.”  
  
“Dim the lights?”  
  
“Sure why not?”  
  
“Wear my own clothes during labor and delivery?”  
  
“Seriously? They wanna know that? I don't know, let's skip that for now. Next.”  
  
“I'd like to take pictures and/or video during labor and delivery?”  
  
“HELL NO! I swear if anyone brings a camera into that room they're dead!”  
  
Daryl chuckled and checked no for that question. They worked their way through the first two pages, skipping some stuff until they got more information from Stephanie. Then they came up on the topic of pain relief and his heart started to beat faster just from reading the word 'epidural' now. He read the pain-managements techniques the plan listed for her, checking yes for breathing techniques, distraction and massage. Then they came up on medicinal pain relief.  
  
“If I decide I want medicinal pain relief, I'd prefer: regional analgesia like an epidu-”  
  
“Yes! Next!”  
  
“Veto!”  
  
Jarah looked at him in amusement. “Veto? You don't get a veto.”  
  
“Do you even know how that shit is done?”  
  
“Yeah, they place this little tube in your spine and pump the meds in.”  
  
“Right, you seen the needle they gonna use for that?”  
  
“Nope and I don't wanna see it. I figure it's not pretty.”  
  
“You can be damn sure that it ain't pretty. It's fu-”  
  
“Hold on, how do you know all this all of a sudden? Holy shit, did Nat tell you? That little snitch, I told her not to tell you!”  
  
“Nah, I got on your laptop, took a look for myself. You ain't getting that shit. Do you know how many risks there are? It fucking doubles the risk of them having to cut you open! Thought we wanted to avoid that?”  
  
“Please stop yelling, I've had enough of that today. It's not helping. I'm not talking about this if you go off on me like that. Now listen, I don't intend to go in there screaming for an epidural. It is just a last resort. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, I can take a lot, I definitely want to try without getting pain killers, alright? But in case I can't take it anymore and in case the contractions wear me out too much and I feel that I might not have enough strength left for pushing, I want the option of getting one. I know that it bears risks, but the whole damn thing bears risks. Nobody knows what's gonna happen. It's like Nat said, not even the best doctor in the world can anticipate how it's gonna go down. I just wanna keep my options open. I know you mean well, Daryl, I know you worry, but ultimately it's my decision. I am the one that's going through that.”  
  
“I know that, but I don't fucking like it. All that stuff, it just gets shittier every single time something new pops up.” He sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes. Now he understood where she was coming from. HE felt like running away from it, because he was scared and he didn't even have to give birth.  
  
“I'll make you a deal. We'll try to do it your way. You can tell me to pant until you get blue in the face and massage me until your fingers fall off and everything, I'll let you try anything you want to get me through this, but in the end, if I reach a point where I just can't take any more, you will have to accept my decision and more importantly, you have to support it. Do you think you can do that?”  
  
“Dunno.” Daryl shrugged, looking down at his hands that were fumbling around with the pen.  
  
“Seriously? It's that big of an issue?” She couldn't believe that the whole thing was that big of a deal to him. Thousands of women got epidurals every day. She knelt up next to him and turned his face to look at her. “Baby, it is a routine procedure. If I need to get a C-section for whatever reason, they are giving me the epidural anyway.” She brushed her thumbs along his cheekbones trying to get him to calm down. He was a nervous wreck.  
  
“We ain't gonna have any control at all, are we?”  
  
“I wouldn't say that, just probably not a lot either and that's gonna be the hard part. Not knowing. Not having a piece of paper where it says 'first this is gonna happen and then that is gonna happen, etc.'. That's really tough for me to wrap my mind around. I like having a plan. I'm scared that I'll get panic attacks during labor, because I won't feel in control. It'll be good for you to be there and hold my hand. I'm sorry for having been an idiot and having fought you on this. We're a team now and somehow we'll get through that together.” She kissed him gently. Daryl pulled her on his lap and deepened the kiss, needing to connect with her in his own way right now.  
  
Their kiss turned urgent and full of desperate emotions. Daryl pressed her as tightly to his body as her current condition would allow, scared that she would vanish if he didn't hold on to her hard enough. She knew that he'd never admit it out loud, but she could feel that he was just as scared as she was and in a weird way she felt that it was very comforting. It showed that he cared. He had told her he cared earlier, but she had never been a believer in words, that's why she worked well with Daryl. He showed her, too. She was able to feel it.  
  
Daryl leaned his forehead against hers when they came up for air, his hands sneaking under her shirt to rub her bare belly, relaxing when he felt the soothing thumps from Jamie against his palm.  
  
“I'll support ya.” He said quietly as he looked up into her eyes. “We'll try to do it without a needle to your spine, but if ya can't go on, then there's no sense in trying to get you to torture yourself any more. Whatever you'll need, I'll have your back.”  
  
“Thank you.” She smiled and rewarded him with another kiss, but Daryl soon broke away and grabbed up the pages again.  
  
“Alright, back to business girl! During delivery I want to view the birth in a mirror?”  
  
“God, no! All I want to see is my baby once he's out, but I don't wanna look down there until he's 2 months old.”  
  
“Alright, big fat no. Oh hey, can I catch the baby?”  
  
“I don't know, I'm not sure if I want you to look down there during the delivery. But you can cut the cord if you want.”  
  
“Yeah, I think I wanna do that.” Daryl already knew that he'd be the proudest shit in the world when he did that. He'd be the one of the first people to ever see and hold that little boy. Daryl skimmed the page and soon found what he was looking for, quickly scribbling down his name on the dotted line.  
  
'After birth I'd like my partner, Daryl Dixon to cut the umbilical cord'  
  
'Fuck yeah. Take that, Doc Mason.' Daryl thought with a big smirk and checked the box for yes.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14  
  
Jarah had a problem. She had talked to Nat on the phone in the morning and her best friend had reminded her of something. It was something Jarah had thought about when she had first started seeing Daryl, but it had been pushed to the back of her mind with all the moving and stuff. Now they had more time and were doing more stuff and the thing she would have to talk to him about could no longer be put off. She just had no idea how he would take it and she didn't really know how to broach the subject.  
  
Daryl knew something was up. She had been a little dodgy all day. Now it was Sunday night and he'd go home soon and he was desperate for some more quality time with her before he went to sleep alone in his own bed. The morning had started out great. Their eyes were barely open that morning, as soon as they'd both been awake they'd been making out like crazy and her hands had taken good care of his morning wood. But then after breakfast she'd talked to Nat and then every single time things got a little more heated that day, she had pulled away. It was weird.  
  
He was pretty sure that it wasn't something he did, but what Nat had said. Something was on his girl's mind, she just had to spit it out. The clock was ticking and Daryl grew more nervous with every minute. After dinner he couldn't take it anymore.  
  
“You gonna tell me what's going on or do I have to take three guesses?” he leaned back in his chair when he was finished eating and studied her closely. Her eyes widened and she sighed.  
  
“Of course you noticed. You always fucking notice.” she muttered and took a deep breath before explaining what had been on her mind. “I just,... there's something I need you to do,... something I would really like you to do, but I'm afraid that you could seriously take that the wrong way.”  
  
His eyes narrowed, not sure if he liked where this was going and he got defensive even though he didn't know what she wanted him to do.  
  
“Just fucking spit it out then! Ain't got all night!”  
  
Great, he was already pissed. This would go over SO well.  
  
“You, uhm,... you slept with other girls, right?”  
  
“Yeah, why?”  
  
“Did you always use a condom?” He SO didn't like where this was going. He had the decency to blush when he shook his head no.  
  
“I did actually but this one time when we were done, the thing was shredded. Never thought about it anymore, she said she was on the pill anyway.”  
  
“Damn!” She had been afraid of that. She wanted to kick herself. She was pregnant, this was something she should have asked before they even kissed for the first time. She had to be responsible, but no, she had let her hormones take over and now she could have risked the health of her baby. “Okay, I'm sorry Daryl, but then there's no way around it. We both have to get tested.”  
  
“What? Why? We didn't fuck!”  
  
“No, but we did other stuff. We kissed and some things can be transmitted that easily. I got tested early during my pregnancy, but if you don't know for sure if you are clean right now, we both have to get checked.”  
  
“So what are you saying, huh? That I got some weird ass dick-disease?” he felt inexplicably hurt that she thought he wasn't “clean” and had infected her with anything.  
  
“Daryl please, calm down. I don't mean to say anything. I'm not judging or anything, but this is very important. Some STD's are non-symptomatic. You wouldn't know if you had them. Like I said, they could be transmitted by kissing or you sticking your tongue down there and if that's the case, it could seriously harm Jamie if left untreated. I will go and get tested tomorrow. It's up to you what you wanna do.”  
  
“Yeah, but if I don't you're gonna dump my ass, right?”  
  
“Baby, please don't be that way.” She reached over and took his hand. “Look, I'm not saying you're some filthy hobo who sticks it in every little slut that comes along. I know that's what you're hearing, but it's not what I'm saying. I know you don't fuck around. You were responsible, you used condoms and that's good, but one of those girls could have given you hepatitis just by kissing you and there is no way you would know. I am not judging you and I don't mean to offend you in any way, but there is another person inside of me that could get harmed by this. And if that condom ripped there is other stuff she could have given you. And I'm not saying you fucked dirty sluts either, it's just something that can happen to everybody, alright?”  
  
He knew she was right and she knew she was looking out for her baby by asking him to do this. He didn't want to harm the little fella and he didn't want to give her anything. He hated that she was right, but she was. He'd never gotten tested, he didn't know for sure.  
  
“What do I have to do?” he sighed defeatedly.  
  
“We'll do it together, alright? You don't have to go alone. I suggest that we do a whole screening for freaking everything out there. That means blood test, urine sample, swabs. I know it sucks, but it's only this once and once we know and everything's alright, we will never ever have to worry about that shit or condoms again. We can fuck around like bunnies without a care in the world.” She giggled, eliciting a little smirk from Daryl.  
  
“Just this once?” he hated doctors and needles and all that shit so much, but his hate was still overpowered by his wanting to be with her and not just sexually.  
  
“Yeah, if we stay together and stay monogamous, then yes, just this once.”  
  
“Alright. Then let's get it over with tomorrow.”  
  
She beamed and went over to sit on his lap and give him a big kiss. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”  
  
####### ####### ####### ###### ######## ######  
  
Jarah had asked him to stay another night and when his alarm had gone off on Monday morning she had already been in the kitchen to make him breakfast. There was coffee and orange juice, french toast and sausages and she'd even made him a sandwich for lunch since he would no longer be able to spend his lunch hour at her apartment. She made him so fucking happy, it was ridiculous.  
  
As soon as he closed the door on his way out, that happiness turned into the complete opposite. He suddenly felt bad and it got worse with every step he took towards his truck. By the time lunch rolled around, he was suffering. He didn't know what was wrong with him, he felt weird, like there were lead weights attached to his body that would drag him down to the floor and then even deeper through the floor into a black hole. It wasn't any physical sensation, it was like it was happening in his mind, like bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.  
  
He went outside and leaned against his truck to get some fresh air. He didn't feel like eating, he just kept looking at the brown bag that sat on the passenger seat and thought about his girl. He didn't get far, because the familiar rumbling of a motorcycle made him raise his head. And sure enough, Merle came rolling down the street. He noticed Daryl standing by his truck at the last moment and made a U-turn, driving on to the sidewalk to come to a halt right next to his younger brother.  
  
“Hey there dummy! You on break?”  
  
“Yeah, what are you doing 'round here?”  
  
Merle shrugged and looked down, he almost looked a little self-conscious.  
  
“There's a NA meeting down the street, thought I might check it out for once.”  
  
Daryl was stunned. His brother was going to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting? Voluntarily?  
  
“That's good.” He gave his older brother an appreciative nod.  
  
“Yeah. What's wrong with you? You look like a little kid that dropped his ice-cream cone.”  
  
“Don't know, feel weird, bro.”  
  
“Yeah? Weird how?”  
  
Daryl tried to explain it without sounding too much like a pussy, but Merle was grinning like a fool anyway.  
  
“And it started when you left her house? Just like that? Damn, little brother, you really are dumb, aren't you? Wanna know what's wrong with you? You miss your girl, dummy! Yeah, you got it bad, you're all in luuuuuuv. Bet all ya wanna do is go back there and be by her side forever and ever, am I right?” Merle was teasing and mocking and Daryl had to fight hard not to duck his head and blush like the little boy he used to be before he met Jarah.  
  
“Shut up, you don't know anything!”  
  
“I know you love that girl. Good luck, boy. Hope she doesn't screw ya over!” Merle laughed and slapped Daryl on the shoulder before he revved his bike and went on his way to the meeting.  
  
Daryl looked after him and scoffed. That man didn't know what he was talking about. No way in hell missing Jarah would make him feel like that. He'd see her in a couple of hours, wasn't like she was lost in the woods or something. He was probably just having a bad day because of the whole testing thing they'd do after work. At least his brother was finally getting some help to fight his fucking addiction. Evidently the drugs had screwed up Merle's brain more than enough.  
  
###### ###### ####### ###### ###### ####### ######  
  
Five hours and a humiliating doctor's visit for Daryl later, they were back at Jarah's house. She had to keep from grinning the whole time, Daryl was pouting and scowling the whole time and once they were safely behind closed doors he let it out.  
  
“Could have told me WHERE they were doing that swab!”  
  
She burst out laughing, but hugged him all the while. “I'm sorry, I thought you knew. It was just a couple of seconds and it's behind you now! Trust me, wasn't fun for me either, especially the blood sample.” She pointed to the four different band-aids on her left arm. Once again the doctors hadn't been able to get a vein until they went deeply into the back of her hand. It hurt even more this time because she still had the bruise from last time, but it couldn't be helped. Nobody ever had been able to get anything out of her right arm, so left arm it was.  
  
“Yeah alright, you got the worse part of the deal, I know. Still hate worrying about that shit. Now I gotta wait, what? Til Friday to find out whether I got HIV and all that stuff?”  
  
“Yeah, not so nice, I know. It's gonna be fine. We'll just have to distract ourselves. Let's start with dinner. How about spaghetti and meatballs?”  
  
“It's fine. Don't care.”  
  
“Oh would you stop pouting? It's very cute, but the whole thing is done and I am very happy and proud of you that you did it. Okay?” She kissed him soundly on his pouting lips and moved to the kitchen to get dinner started.  
  
“How was work today?”  
  
“A drag. Saw Merle on my break. He went to an NA meeting. Shocked the hell outta me.”  
  
“Really? That's great. Starting to get his shit together, isn't he?”  
  
“Looks like. He's still Merle, but he's startin' to get off his ass and doin' somethin.”  
  
“Think Nat might have something to do with that?” Jarah grinned, those two didn't even know how cute they were with their flirtatious banter.  
  
“How do you mean? Like she told him to or what?”  
  
“No, she wouldn't ever do that. She would want him to make that decision on his own. But maybe her whole speech about men having to earn their place in her life kicked his ass into gear? He might not even think so himself yet, but I think he likes her. Like REALLY likes her. Should have seen him on Friday morning. When I told him Nat was gonna meet me here he was all 'Oh really? I'll come help and bring y'all breakfast.'”  
  
“Yeah? Hm. He had a girlfriend once. Was really into her, but still treated her like crap. She was a bitch, though, not like Nat. Don't know why he liked her so much.”  
  
“That shit wouldn't fly with Nat. She doesn't put up with that. I think they would be perfect together.”  
  
“Ya think? Don't know. She seems pretty dominant if that's what they call it. Don't think Merle goes for the submissive shit.”  
  
“See, that's where I think you are wrong for once, baby. I think they would be equals. Nat is not really dominant, she is really sweet once you get to know her better. But she is able to be the dominant part, if you wanna call it that, just as much as she is able to be the submissive part. And I think it's the same for Merle. Sure he might need some work, but if it would ever happen, I really think those two might actually lead one of the most well-balanced relationships ever, with a pretty explosive sex life, I bet. Nat is very open and likes to experiment and I bet that is right up Merle's alley.”  
  
“Awww fuck, no, why did you have to say that, girl? That's ma brother you're talking about!”  
  
“I'm sorry, but if they ever get together you'll have to learn to get over that, cause I like to analyze things like that.”  
  
“You do?” he looked at her in curiosity, wanting to know whether she had spent any time thinking about them. He came up behind her, cradling her baby bump in his hands, resting his chin on the top of her head, watching her hands form the meatballs. “You analyze us, yet?”  
  
“I think about us, yes.” She admitted, but didn't offer up any more.  
  
“And?  
  
“And what?”  
  
“You know what!” He tickled her ribs, making her try to wriggle out of his grasp.  
  
“Stop that or I'll pee my pants!” she giggled, trying to push her away with her elbows as her hand were greasy from the meat.  
  
“I'll stop if you tell me what I wanna know.” he grinned and kept on tickling her. Having her wriggle against him didn't feel too shabby.  
  
“Alright, alright, you win, come on, hands off or I'll make you stand over by the door!” Daryl stopped his assault on her ribs and gently rubbed over her belly that seemed to have gotten bigger if he wasn't mistaken. But he wouldn't ask her about it, he wasn't that stupid.  
  
“I don't know if it is a good idea to tell you what I think is happening. I don't want us to subconsciously modify our behavior to fit those roles, you know?”  
  
He thought about that and had to admit that she had a point.  
  
“Guess you're right. Do ya think we'll be all well-balanced and shit?” she wouldn't give too much away if she at least answered that, he figured.  
  
“I think we could be, but I think it will be in an entirely different way than Nat and Merle would be. And that's really all I can say about it.”  
  
Jarah didn't want to talk about it because she was scared that talking would destroy the natural way their relationship was evolving. They were unconsciously taking over certain roles in the relationship and the more she thought about it the more surprised she was at how willing she was to accept her new position.  
  
All her life up until she was 18 and got kicked out by her parents, Jarah had been the victim, the one under other people's thumb. Once she got to Atlanta that had changed. She had still been shy and she still had trouble saying no to people, but overall she had started being in charge of her own life. She was in control, she had downright turned into a control freak, she did things her own way and she did them alone, help from others just distracted her and might have altered the outcome. She didn't want that, she made plans and she followed them through to the end to get the outcome she wanted.  
  
That didn't change when she was with Jackson. She had been the dominant one, as Daryl had put it, in the relationship. She took care of him, she made the decisions, etc. He just had to go to work, she took care of the rest. It might have been the reason why he hadn't been able to function at all and had to move in with his parents for a couple of weeks when she left him. He didn't know how to live without her anymore.  
  
While she had taken charge of everything all those years, she had developed a penchant for rough sex. That being the time where she wanted to hand over the reigns. She didn't want her husband to beat the crap out of her or anything, but she wanted him to take charge and fuck all the stress and frustration out of her hard and fast and let herself get lost. Unfortunately rough hadn't been Jackson's thing at all, just adding to her frustration. Then one night they'd had a fight and although they'd made up Jackson thought it was time for him to show her that he was perfectly able to take charge and be in control of her. He chose the worst way possible, where Jarah was concerned and it was the beginning of the end. She swore that she'd never let a man take the reigns again, so she could protect herself from events like that in the future.  
  
Now that she was with Daryl she was extremely surprised that she was just naturally surrendering to him without even thinking about it. The more time they spent together, the more he came out of his shell and grew more confident and took charge. Jarah fought a grin when she thought about how he was pushing for the birth plan and how he'd pushed her during the move and during the weekend when he went down on her. He was turning into the “dominant one” without even realizing it and she liked it very much. She was happy to hand the reigns over to him and let him take care of a lot of stuff. She wouldn't let him go too far with it, she still liked to do some things on her own and she would still speak her mind and tell him if she disagreed with him, but for the most part she would let him evolve into the dominant role, while she happily let herself slip into the submissive role, if they wanted to call it that for lack of a better word. So yeah, she was sure that they could have a well-balanced relationship like that, but they wouldn't be equals like Nat and Merle. She and Daryl matched in this other way and it seemed to be working well right now. How it would turn out down the road remained to be seen, but Jarah suspected it would continue to work for them like this.  
  
###### ####### ####### ####### ####### #######  
  
“Aw shit, girl!” Daryl's hand moved between their bodies to cover hers, tightening her grasp on his erect cock. She was using the fucking oil he had given her a belly rub with just a couple of minutes earlier. This time they had removed the bra as well and Daryl had soon been distracted by her breasts, squeezing them and having his oily, slippery fingers play with her nipples. She swore she'd had something like a mini-orgasm from him doing that and now she was returning the favor.  
  
She was teasing him, but Daryl wasn't in the mood for that. After the day he had with him feeling so shitty at work, Merle making him aware of stuff he wasn't quite ready to face and the doctor taking a cotton swab to his dick afterward, he just needed release. Quick and hard. So he'd tightened her grip on him with his own hand and showed her what he needed.  
  
Jarah let him guide her as he had their hands moving faster and faster with short and hard strokes, his breathing harsh against her skin as he sucked on her tits, not caring that the oil that still coated them to some extent tasted kinda weird, he just needed to hear her moan and feel her shudder.  
  
He was close, his balls started to draw up. He would only need a little more. He caught her nipple between his teeth and tugged, starting a chain-reaction that would bring him to completion, his name in form of a breathy moan falling from Jarah's lips as her body shivered and she tugged hard on his hair. He clamped his hand hard around hers, stilling the motion of their hands as a hard orgasm ripped through his body. After the first two spurts of his hot cum had landed on her rounded belly he released her hand and let her stroke him slowly to milk the rest from him while his head fell back against the couch, his breathing harsh and ragged. He felt much better, relaxation finally settling over his body.  
  
He looked back up at her when he felt her move around, his eyes landing on her belly and on his very essence slowly running down the side of it. The animal inside of him reared its head and the possessive streak inside of him flared up, enjoying the view immensely. He'd marked her as his, too bad she was about to wipe it all off with her shirt. He'd have to go for something more permanent next time.  
  
She leaned in and sought out his tongue with her own once she'd cleaned herself up, engaging him in a passion-fueled kiss that made him want to bend her over the coffee table and fuck her hard til she was hoarse from screaming his name. The little tease pulled away shortly afterward, though and left him on the couch to get a new shirt for herself and some water for him.  
  
“Here, you're a little sweaty, don't want you to dehydrate on me.”  
  
“Thanks.” He took a big gulp and looked at the clock on the wall. Damn he didn't wanna leave, but it was getting late. “I should probably get going...” he started off, hoping she would ask him to stay.  
  
“Okay.” Woah. That okay sounded a little too happy for his liking. Was she relieved that he was about to go home? Didn't she want him to stay as much as he wanted to stay? He would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed. The shitty feeling from this morning was slowly returning.  
  
“You gonna come by after work tomorrow?” She asked with a smile and the horrible feeling was back full force. He really had to go home and sleep alone today.  
  
“Yeah. Guess I'll see ya then...” it took all he had to drag himself up off the couch and follow her to the door. It was really happening, she was making him leave. He could just ask her to let him stay, but he didn't wanna look like a little pussy.  
  
“You will. Bye baby. Get home safe.” She leaned up and kissed him, a series of gentle pressure and sucks on his lips, before she released him with a smile. Daryl left, feeling depressed and like he might throw up. She didn't want him there tonight. She was sending him home to Merle and his own cold and lonely bed. He didn't know what to make of that. He went home in the foulest mood of his life and stomped straight into his room, slamming the door behind him, not feeling like listening to Merle rant on about some crap.  
  
Jarah meanwhile really didn't mean anything by not asking him to stay. They had only been dating a couple of weeks and they saw each other every day, they had just spent a whole weekend together, she didn't feel the need to rush into having him spend every night with her. You had to leave the guys wanting a little bit. There had to be time to think about the other, there had to be space to let feelings develop. Sure she missed him, but she knew better than to rush things too much. Also there were other ways to connect and she'd use one of those ways tonight.  
  
So later after she had watched a couple of episode of her newest guilty pleasure which was called “Hart of Dixie” she snuggled into bed and sent Daryl a kiss, via cell phone, by taking a selfie, wearing his shirt and making a kissy face. She sent it to him in hopes that he wouldn't think of it as too silly and put her cell phone down on the pillow next to her.  
  
Daryl was surprised when his phone buzzed. He saw that it was a text message from Jarah. Hope flared up inside of him. Maybe she was asking him to come back and spend the night there. But his hopes died when he saw the picture and the message.  
  
“Good night, baby and sweet dreams. Miss you. J.”  
  
The picture was cute and he liked the message, too. She was obviously thinking about him now that he wasn't there, but he was still miffed. If she missed him, why wasn't she with him right now, then? Maybe it was that absence made the heart grow fonder shit, she believed in. Nothing he could do about it now anyway, so he send a quick text back before he tossed his phone on the nightstand and went to sleep.  
  
'Right back at you. D.”  
  
###### ###### ###### ####### ##### ######  
  
The next day at work was terrible for Daryl, he was just itching to see his girl all day. When he finally strode into her kitchen that night he didn't waste any time and grabbed her and set her on the counter to ravish her mouth. It made Jarah giggle in delight while returning his feverish kisses. She loved when he went cave man on her.  
  
“Hello to you, too!” she smiled when she pushed him away a little, but her wolf wouldn't have it.  
  
“Shut up!” he growled, albeit good-naturedly and presses his mouth back against hers, his tongue already curling back around hers. She let him take what he needed, it wasn't like she didn't enjoy it a lot. It took almost five minutes for him to ease up and let her come up for air.  
  
Jarah put her hands on his wide shoulders, gently rubbing and pressing into his muscles a little to work some of his tension out, while he rested his forehead against hers, both of them enjoying being close again in silence for a moment.  
  
“Let's go out tonight. Don't have ta cook every night. Let me buy you dinner, 'kay?” he murmured, rubbing his nose against hers.  
  
“Or we could just order in.”  
  
“Nah, have to take your walk anyway. We can walk to the restaurant.”  
  
“Already took my walk, let's just stay in.”  
  
He looked up at her at that, getting a weird feeling. Something was up.  
  
“What is it now?” he sighed frustrated and rubbed his eyes. He felt very tired all of a sudden.  
  
“Got a call from my lawyer today. It's good news actually.” That made him perk up, directing a questioning glance at her.  
  
“Really? Spill.” If it was good news, why was she being weird?  
  
“Turns out that Jackson is finally willing to work with me on this. Guess he realized that I'm not coming back. He wants to keep the court out of this, just like me. We just have to agree on some stuff and once that's done, the divorce will be finalized after 31 days.”  
  
“That's great. Why not go out and celebrate?” He had a huge smile on his lips, he was fucking elated at that news.  
  
“Because we probably shouldn't be seen together in public until the divorce is finalized.”  
  
And gone was his good mood.  
  
“Why the fuck not???”  
  
“My lawyer thinks that once Jackson finds out about you, he could flip out and try to stall this and go to court. It could cause a lot of problems, Daryl. He could make this a lot harder if he knew about us being together. Jackson and his family are well-known. They know a ton of people. He is also in a band in his free-time and plays a ton of clubs around the area. We are lucky that apparently we haven't gotten caught until now. We shouldn't risk it now that we know it could get us into trouble. I guess we can have outings if Nat was with us and Merle, but just the two of us is not a good idea. I'm sorry.”  
  
“Fuck. Okay so going out is out, but what about me coming here? That out, too?”  
  
“No, you can still come here. He doesn't know that I live here now, but just in case maybe leave your car at home and come in through the backyard? I know it sucks, Daryl, but I really want to get this over with and it could happen within the next two months, probably before Jamie is born.”  
  
“You gonna let him see the baby?”  
  
“Yeah, it's still his son, so if he wants to I want him to have visitation.”  
  
“I don't want him around the kid.” Daryl crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't know the guy but he gave him a bad feeling and Daryl always trusted his hunches.  
  
“That's not your decision to make, sweetie. Trust me, I want him out of my life, too, but I don't think I'll be able to get him to give up his parental rights, so he very probably will be a part of my life forever. He isn't a bad guy, he should get his chance to be a good father.”  
  
“Not a bad guy, my ass. Nat hates him and she likes Merle! Maybe I should ask her what he did to you, huh? Since you just keep protecting him. You love him after all or something?”  
  
“I told you before, I'm not talking to you when you're being like this. You know damn well that I don't love him. People make mistakes, he fucked up, but ultimately it wasn't the sole reason I left him. Just forget about it okay? I just wanna settle this and get it over with. Please don't fight me on this now that he finally stopped fighting.”  
  
“Fine, so how's this gonna go down? You tell your lawyer what you want, the asshole agrees and then it's settled?”  
  
“Well in a nutshell, that would be one way to go...”  
  
Daryl clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes at her, his voice so low that he was almost growling and had the situation been different Jarah's panties would have dropped so hard they would have crashed a hole in the ground all the way to China.  
  
“But?”  
  
“Jackson wants to meet me. Talk to me alone.”  
  
“And you said no, right?! Aww are you fucking kidding me? I don't want you around him!”  
  
“I still owe him an explanation, Daryl. I haven't talked to him since the day before I left and he still thought we were just gonna take a break, that I needed some space. I told him it was over, but he never got it. I guess he wants closure or something.”  
  
Daryl was pacing like a caged animal in front of her.  
  
“No, write him a letter or something, you didn't hire a lawyer just for fun, he can do the talking!”  
  
“Can you please calm down? You're making me nervous. Daryl, it's not that bad and it could help to speed things up. Why are you so aggressive? You don't know him. You never met him.”  
  
“Something doesn't sit right with that guy, okay? Something's off. Don't ask me to explain. I can't. Just a feeling I have.”  
  
“It's gonna be alright, Daryl. He's not a rap-” Jarah caught herself before she completed the sentence. Jackson might not be a rapist in the traditional sense, but in a way he had raped her. “I mean, he's not gonna hit me or anything. What are you afraid of?”  
  
Daryl of course knew what she had wanted to say and he stared at her incredulously.  
  
“I knew it. I fucking knew it. He did it, didn't he?”  
  
“It's not what you think, okay? And I'm not gonna tell you about it. Not right now. I swear if you don't calm down, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. You're upsetting me and Jamie is kicking up a storm!”  
  
“I'm upsetting you? I am upsetting you? The fuck, Jarah? He's the one who fucking did it.”  
  
“Not gonna ask you again, Daryl. Calm down or leave. Go outside and smoke if you have to just calm the fuck down.” Jarah took a deep breath and smoothed her hands over her belly. Jamie was kicking so much it was visible from the outside. Daryl's eyes widened. He'd felt him move plenty of times, but he'd never seen it like this. It was kind of creepy.  
  
“Holy fuck, when did that happen?” his anger was immediately forgotten at the new discovery.  
  
“Last night when I was in bed. Probably happened before, but I never really watched that closely until yesterday.”  
  
Daryl gently but his hands over the little alien moving inside of her and crouched down to speak to her belly, keeping his voice soft.  
  
“Hey little one, I'm sorry, ya hear me? Calm down for your momma. I ain't gonna upset her anymore. Promise.” He straightened but kept stroking his hands over her bump. “Does it hurt?”  
  
“Sometimes a little. It's pretty uncomfortable, feels weird as fuck. I feel like Sigourney Weaver in that Alien movie to be honest.”  
  
“Yeah, kinda looks like it, too.” he chuckled. “You're gonna do it, aren't you? The meeting?”  
  
“Yes. And no, you can't come with me!” She smiled a little as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
“Hell yeah I can. Public place where I can keep my eyes on ya. Just having something to eat with my brother, nobody will know why we're there. Hell we can even sit right at the table next to yours.”  
  
“Well maybe, not right next to us. Sure you wanna do this? You can't lose your temper!”  
  
“I know. But if you insist on meeting the jackass, I'm gonna be there. I have to.”  
“Alright. I don't know how it's gonna help you, but have it your way.” Jarah relented. She was tired of fighting over this. If he had to watch, fine let him watch. She would have to tell Merle to keep a close eye on his brother so he wouldn't do anything stupid and ruin the chances of a speedy divorce for her.  
  
####### ######## ####### ######## ###### ########


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mentions of sexual abuse of a minor and spousal abuse ahead. Don't read if it triggers you.

  
Chapter 15  
  
“Hi Daryl, how's it going?” Nat smiled broadly at Daryl as he entered Jarah's living room on Thursday afternoon after work. Jarah's best friend had taken a huge liking to both Dixons. Merle was just her boo. He was a hoot and she liked that he didn't treat her like a little porcelain doll who wasn't able to take some verbal blows. Their banter excited her, but she felt like both of them weren't quite ready to take it further than that yet. Daryl, she had just grown to love so quickly she was shocked by it. He was adorable and at the same time fierce in his protectiveness over Jarah. They often shared the same views and she was happy to have a partner who helped her to kick Jarah's ass into gear when she needed it.  
  
“Good.” he stopped next to Jarah's chair, unsure of what to do now that Nat was around. Nat made a show of slapping her hand over her eyes and Daryl quickly gave Jarah a little peck on the mouth before he went to get himself a coffee and plopped down on the chair next to her.  
  
“Good, huh? So no strong feelings over the whole Jackson thing?” She grinned as she saw his jaw tense. “Thought so.”  
  
“So you with me? Gonna help me talk her out of it?” Daryl looked at Nat, a hopeful expression on his face.  
  
“Actually no. This time I'm with her.” Nat almost had to laugh at the deep scowl Daryl sported as soon as she had said it.  
  
“Thought you hated the bastard? Why change your mind now?”  
  
“Because I heard things. We nurses from the nursing home know a lot of the doctors in the area, people who Jackson happens to be friends with. Word on the street is, that Jackson is still pretty delusional about the whole thing. He believes that Jarah is just throwing a tantrum and will come back as soon as the baby is born.”  
  
“It's been how many months? Three? Four? And he still thinks that? Idiot!” Daryl shook his head. “It's even more reason for her NOT to go. He's gonna try something!”  
  
“He might.” Nat nodded casually and Daryl could already feel his blood pressure beginning to rise.  
  
“He might? You know that and ya still want her to go? You fucking kidding me? If he touches her, he's dead!”  
  
“That's why you shouldn't go Daryl. Jarah hasn't told you much about him, has she? Understandable, you don't go around spilling the beans about your ex to the new guy, but in this case it couldn't hurt.”  
  
“Nat, I don't think he needs to know more than he already does. He already wants to kill him. He doesn't need to know any more before the meeting.”  
  
“You still haven't told him about THAT part of your life, huh? I don't understand, you never had trouble talking about it, why is it so hard for you to tell Daryl?”  
  
“Because I care what he thinks about me and I don't want him to think I'm irreparably damaged and a sick pervert on top of that.”  
  
“Sick pervert? Jarah how often do I have to tell you? You did NOT say that to him!”  
  
“Don't talk like I'm not fucking here! What the fuck is going on? Just fucking tell me everything there is to know about that fucker and I mean EVERYTHING.” He stared hard at Jarah and she looked back at him in silence for a moment, before she shook her head.  
  
“You don't have to know, it won't change anything. It'll just make you angry. Again.”  
  
“I don't care 'bout getting angry, girl. I already know he freaking raped ya, ain't nothing in the world that would make me more angry than that.”  
  
“Hm,... you might be surprised. He didn't really rape her, Daryl. If you ask me, what he did was worse.” Natalie got up and got the bottle of Southern Comfort and set it down in front of Daryl. “Don't know for sure, but you might need this. Maybe I'm reacting more strongly to the whole thing because I am a woman. You might not think that it is worse than actual rape, but I guess we'll find out. Right Jarah? Come on, it's time, sweetie.”  
  
“Alright, guess I'm not getting out of it this time with you two ganging up on me, hm?”  
  
“No. Don't look at me like that, it's going to be fine. I'm here.” Nat squeezed Jarah's hand and then looked at Daryl.  
  
“Let me start off by telling you a little about Jackson. Jarah likes to sugar-coat when it comes to him and not for the reason you might think. She's not into him, she doesn't love him. I think she is trying to make herself believe that it wasn't all that bad with him. Maybe it's easier for her that way instead of realizing that she wasted two years of her life by falling into his trap.” Natalie was nothing if not brutally honest. Jarah had to take a deep breath to calm herself down. The truth hurt.  
  
“When Jarah and Jackson met, she was going through a really tough time. Unfortunately that was kind of her own fault, because she let her fucked up father back into her life. Oh you just wait til you meet him, he is a real prize. Anyway, he is really good at making her feel worthless. To her father, Jarah is probably the ugliest and most useless person in the whole wide world and he is not shy about telling her.”  
  
“Geez, Nat. You don't have to go into that much detail!”  
  
“Yeah I do. He needs to know everything. See, why I'm telling you? She'd leave out the important parts. So yeah, she was at a really low point during those days and then one night at work, Jarah's favorite resident Mrs Black took a bad fall. She had just finished her shift and was about to leave when the alarm bells went off and when she noticed that it was her little Elsie, she went with her in the ambulance to the hospital. Probably not hard to guess who treated Mrs. Black. That's how they met. Jackson isn't shy, from what I've been told and not only from Jarah, he flirted with her like crazy. Usually she always very politely brushed everybody off, but Jackson was in luck. His timing was perfect. She felt horrible about herself and there he was telling her she was beautiful and everything. For once she soaked it up like a sponge and went back for more.”  
  
Jarah had turned a deep shade of red by now. She was really embarrassed about how easily Jackson had been able to win her over. How she'd let herself be fooled into thinking she loved him so easily was now beyond her.  
  
“They started dating and Jackson got what he wanted. He was downright obsessed with her, it creeped me out. She was his trophy, his most prized possession. No one else was allowed to “play” with her. Not even me. Jackson is as jealous as they come, Daryl. On the outside he is nice and sweet, all laid back and fun, but he's got a temper. Not like you. He is scarier. He is weirdly controlled, it builds up over quite some time and then it unloads in a way that is psychologically terrorizing. He is not like you, you get angry, you yell, you just let it all out and everything is fine afterward. Jackson doesn't yell, he gets in your head, instead, just like someone else Jarah will tell you about later. He comes from money, he is used to getting everything he wants. And Jarah gave him everything he wanted. Sure she kind of took over his life, she managed their life together, Jackson didn't get that much say in that, but he didn't even want to. Somehow he liked being dependent on her and having her take care of everything and you know why? Because it kept her busy and it kept her by his side. She wasn't even allowed to come and see me. He'd literally beg her on his knees to stay. But I went to see her instead, watched the two of them together. I tell you some weird shit goes on in that head of his. He loves her, no doubt about it, but I think his obsession with owning her is greater than his love. When she left she hurt him a lot, she destroyed him and she feels guilty about the way she went about the whole thing and in retrospect, yeah, it could have been handled differently, but in the end she did the right thing and that's all that counts. He deserved it. But my point is, he is definitely going to try to get her back. He will get touchy feely, maybe even try to kiss her. I wouldn't put it past him.”  
  
“Over my dead body. He lays one finger on her and I'll stomp him into the ground!”  
  
“No you won't. You can't do anything Daryl. I told you he is jealous, didn't I? As soon as he learns about you, there will be no more Mr. Nice Guy. No matter what he does, all you can do is sit by and watch. You can't say anything and you sure as hell can't go up to him and punch his lights out. It's gonna be tough, but Jarah has to make nice. It might be the only way for her to get sole custody of Jamie and be rid of Jackson except for his visits with the little one. You can't ruin that. You have to understand that.” Nat looked at him imploringly.  
  
“Fine. I get it. He's a spoiled, arrogant little bastard. What else? What about the thing he did?” Daryl got a bad feeling. He was scared that Jackson might wanna hurt Jarah when he realized that she would not come back to him after all. Having that illusion destroyed might trigger something bad inside the jerk.  
  
“That's where you come in, sweetie. Tell him, he's not gonna think differently about you. It wasn't your fault. Come on.” Nat coaxed Jarah and suppressed a little grin, when she noticed Daryl carefully taking Jarah's hand in his, encouraging her with a little squeeze.  
  
“Ain't nothing in the world that's ever gonna make me think bad about you. 'Kay?”  
  
“Okay.” She nodded and tried to put her thoughts in order before she started. “I told you once that the whole thing went back a lot further than just Jackson, right? He was my first for a lot of things, but not for everything. Some things I had done before... My uncle made me. I was six years old when it started.”  
  
Daryl's eyes widened, his grip on her hand becoming near painful. He hadn't seen that coming at all. He swallowed hard, not able to find his voice, not knowing what to say anyway, but his heart hurt something awful.  
  
“Went on for six years. He had me do oral for the most part, some touching, but never entered my body, except for my mouth. He, uhm... he always forced me to swallow. That was kind of his thing. I threw up every time after and he got a kick out of that. I am not deeply traumatized by it or anything. I sometimes have nightmares, but it's manageable. I can have sex just fine without being triggered, I have no problems with oral either, just as long as I can decide for myself what I wanna do at the end of it. And you can't grip my head too hard... It's just two simple rules. Jackson knew about it. And he was fine with sticking to the rules, always did. Then one time we fought, I was stupid. Dinner wasn't done on time, he had a shitty day at work, it was just a little squabble. Or so I thought. We made up, everything was fine. We had sex. I, uhm... you know, I performed oral on him and just out of nowhere he grabbed my hands real hard and with his other hand, he grabbed my head and pushed himself into my mouth real rough. Made me choke and gag and he kept going right til the end. When he was finished he looked at me and said 'see, I can have power over you if I choose to.' I know, what you're thinking, why did I even stay with him? I don't have an answer for that. I guess I just somehow thought it was my own fault.”  
  
Daryl had never felt so much rage in his entire life. On the outside he appeared to be eerily calm. Only his tense jaw and the death grip he had on Jarah's hand gave away that he wasn't as calm as he seemed to be.  
  
“She thinks what her uncle did was her fault, too.” Nat mentioned in a quiet voice.  
  
“How the fuck is that your fault?”  
  
“My uncle, he told me that I said I WANTED to do that stuff to him. That it was why he was doing it in the first place. Because I wanted it.”  
  
“That's bullshit. Ain't no six year old little girl who wants to suck off her dirty motherfucking uncle.”  
  
“Maybe, but he planted seeds of doubt in my head. And they're still there. That's why I can't fully blame him for what he did.”  
  
“Motherfucker. Dirty old fuck. He live round here?” Daryl's voice was dangerously low. He was still calm on the outside, but on the inside he was quaking with red hot rage. He released her hand and got up to start pacing along the table, he felt the need to move or he would just explode.  
  
“He died some time ago. As for Jackson, I always pushed him to be a bit rougher, take over a little more. I just can't help but think that I brought this upon myself. He wasn't into rough, didn't know how to do it, maybe he thought this was the way to go an-” She yelped when a loud crash suddenly filled the room. Daryl had grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the table and flung it against the wall in rage where it shattered into a million tiny pieces, splatters of alcohol splashing everywhere.  
  
“DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE DEFEND HIM!!!” he roared, near blind with rage. His chest was heaving, his fists clenched so hard that his knuckles were white. Both women instinctively pressed their hands to their hearts, so startled by his outburst that the muscle had stopped beating for a second.  
  
“Don't you dare defend either of those fucking creeps. They knew. They knew exactly what they were doin' to ya and they fucking enjoyed it. And that poor excuse for a husband? That was pure fucking terrorism what he did and he knew. He took ya back there. The guy who was supposed to love ya and protect ya? He took ya back to that place. He meant to. Did it on purpose. He made you live through it again. He didn't trigger shit. He made you fucking LIVE through it again! Don't you ever defend him and say it was your fault. If I ever hear ya say that again, I swear to God, girl... I'll flip my shit, you ain't seen nothin' yet. FUCK!!! I'll kill him. I'll fucking rip his dick off and shove it down his throat. See how he likes it.” He was pacing back and forth, agitated beyond belief, and pulled on his hair.  
  
“Daryl is right, Jar-Jar. It was never your fault. It was them. It's what I've been telling you all along. Maybe now you'll finally start believing it. Listen to your man, is all I can say.”  
  
“I need a smoke!” Daryl grabbed his pack from the table and went out to the backyard while Nat hugged a quiet Jarah and smiled gently.  
  
“You okay, sweetie?”  
  
“Yeah, I feel better actually. Still startled as fuck, but overall I feel better.”  
  
“I figured. And see? He's still crazy about you. Nothing changed. Now come on, let's clean this up and then I'll leave you two to it. Stay back until I've cleaned up all the glass.”  
  
Nat went to get a dustpan, while Jarah got a bucket with water ready to get rid of the alcohol that was staining the wall and the floor. When they were done Nat said goodbye to Jarah for the day and left through the backdoor and stopped where Daryl was standing and chain-smoking.  
  
“Hey. You doing okay, D?” She gently put her hand on his arm to offer some comfort.  
  
“Yeah, just need a moment. Could never understand how people could do that shit. To little kids no less. And to the woman you're supposed to love? I'd slit my own throat first.”  
  
“That's good to know.” She smiled and nudged him a little, getting the tiniest of laughs from him. “I know what you mean, though. I don't get it either. Don't get why she stayed with him. I mean, on one hand I do, she's doubting herself, her parents raised her to always doubt herself. And maybe that doubt also offered up some kind of protection, I don't know. Like it made it less real? Personally I don't know what that feels like, but it's gotta be pretty strong if she still can't be mad at those fucking assholes. She was mad at Jackson, didn't talk to him for a week and she always said things had never been the same after that, but still...”  
  
“We gotta teach her how to be mad at them then. Gotta undo what her folks did.” Daryl was sure he could do it, even though it might take a ton of time.  
  
“That's a good idea. I hope she'll listen to you. You're a good man, Daryl.” She squeezed his arm before withdrawing her hand and starting to walk towards the street. “Stay with her tonight, yes? She might have nightmares after talking about it.”  
  
“No way I'm leaving her alone tonight, trust me.”  
  
“'Kay, I'm leaving, you go back inside. She says she's feeling better, but some comfort from her favorite pair of arms might not hurt!”  
  
Daryl nodded and took a last drag from his cigarette before he called out to Nat's retreating back. “Thanks. You know, for getting her to talk.”  
  
“No problem. It was time to put it all on the table. Hope you guys still have a nice rest of the day. See ya soon, Daryl.”  
  
“G'night.” he murmured while he stepped on his cigarette to put it out so he could go back inside. He found her rummaging through her fridge and cursing under her breath. Daryl wrapped his arms around her and put his chin on her shoulder.  
  
“What are you doing?”  
  
“I want a banana and cherry smoothie and I don't have any cherries.” She sighed, closing the door resignedly.  
  
“Want me to go out and get some?”  
  
“No that's okay, I'll get them tomorrow.” She took his left hand and raised it to her lips to press a little kiss against the back of his hand. “Feeling better?”  
  
“Yeah, was just a lot to take in. How bout you?”  
  
“I'm fine. I know I should've told you earlier, but I was scared it would make you leave.”  
  
“The only thing that would make me leave ya is you keeping up defending them. So stop. I'm only gonna say this once and then we'll never talk about this shit again, ya hear me. It wasn't your fault, none of it. Ya gotta start believing that. It's about time that you start developing some anger, can't just always be me!” She let out a laugh at that and Daryl gently kissed her temple. “I'm on your side, okay? I believe you, so you gotta start believing yourself and that's the last I'm gonna say about it.”  
  
“Okay.” She turned her head to kiss him and muttered a thank you against his lips, grateful that the whole thing was over with and Daryl didn't insist on dwelling on it any longer.  
  
“The meeting still on for Saturday morning?”  
  
“Yeah, my lawyer let his know that we were gonna meet at the diner at 10 am. You sure you and Merle wanna be there? Nat is gonna be there, outside in the car...”  
  
“I'll be there, gonna keep my eye on you and that motherfucker.”  
  
“You can't do anything, really Daryl. No matter what happens, you gotta stay at your table. Promise me.”  
  
“Fine, promise. But if he touches you, I'll run him over with my truck later!”  
  
“He's not worth going to jail for, baby.”  
  
“True. So tomorrow night we'll go to the clinic for the results?”  
  
“Right, don't forget your ID or they might not give them to you. Are you nervous?”  
  
He shrugged, he didn't like admitting it, but he really was nervous. He never spent much time thinking about diseases and stuff like that, but now that it's being tested and he can't be sure whether or not he's got something, it was kinda nerve-wracking.  
  
But as it turned out the following night, he'd had nothing to worry about.  
  
“Clean as a whistle and healthy as a horse.” he grinned. She had been right, now they knew and would never ever have to think about that shit again.  
  
“Same here.” she smiled and Nat grinned.  
  
“Awesome, probably not gonna be seeing much of the two of you after tomorrow, right? Good thing you don't have close neighbors anymore, they would probably file a thousand noise complaints.” She had taken Jarah to the clinic and remained standing between her and Daryl the whole time so nobody would even think about them being a couple.  
  
“Oh come on, we've done stuff already.” Jarah laughed, loving how Daryl still blushed every single time sex came up.  
  
“Yeah, but now you've got the green light for going all in. All the dirty little things this pretty little head of yours can come up with.”  
  
“Stop, you're making Daryl uncomfortable. Look at him, he wants to melt into the carpet.” Nat was right though. They've held off of “exchanging bodily fluids” except for kissing and had stuck to a bit of hand stuff until they knew for sure. And now they knew, now all bets were off. If only there wouldn't be that fucking meeting with Jackson the next morning. That was why she wanted to send Daryl home that night, to be alone and prepare mentally, but he wouldn't have it.  
  
He accepted that she didn't feel like talking, her nerves were too frazzled. She didn't wanna watch TV either, she just wanted to put some music on and lay back, close her eyes and play through various scenarios of how the meeting could go in her head. Daryl gave her her space, but he didn't want to leave. He wanted to be there and show his support, so he just let her get comfortable on the couch with her legs in his lap and studied her, while she did her thing. He didn't mind, he would never get tired of looking at her.  
  
####### ####### ####### ####### ####### ########  
  
The next morning she was beyond nervous. Her hands were shaky, she dropped things, she went through her paperwork over and over again and kept tapping her foot nervously every time she sat down. Daryl didn't know what to do. He tried rubbing her back, he tried kissing her and talking to her, but it was of no use. She was a nervous wreck and it wouldn't stop until that meeting was over and done with.  
  
Nat arrived soon and Daryl left to go pick up Merle and drive to the diner. They wanted to get there a little early to make sure they'd have a good spot to observe things from. Once they were seated Daryl looked around but there was no guy there that seemed to be waiting for someone, so he kept his eyes glued to the door. He didn't know what Jackson looked like, wasn't like he'd asked Jarah to show him her wedding pictures or anything, but the instant Jackson entered the diner, Daryl knew.  
  
Merle could tell by the way Daryl's fists suddenly started clenching that the guy they were looking for had arrived. He looked casually over to the door and scoffed when he turned back to Daryl.  
  
“That's him, right? Arrogant little bastard, isn't he?” Daryl didn't pay attention to Merle. He had a hard time fighting the urge to grab his fork and drive it through Jackson's eye. He already hated him with a passion, but now even more when he watched the doc scan the diner with a scowl, much like his own, but Jackson's held a lot more arrogance than Daryl's. Jackson looked about the same height as Daryl and they had about the same built, too. Lean and mean, but that's where their similarities ended. Jackson had light brown short spiky hair and a wide nose that was just begging for Daryl smash his fist against.  
  
Jackson took a seat at a table across from them. Perfect, Daryl and Merle had a perfect view. They might even be able to hear some of the conversation.  
  
“Stop staring, bro. You're gonna ruin everything. Now, here comes Shorty so fucking relax, alright?”  
  
Daryl had to take three deep breaths and quickly stuffed a forkful of pancakes into his mouth. He lowered his head and looked up inconspicuously every couple of seconds to watch them. He saw Jackson's eyes light up like a Christmas Tree and get up when he spotted Jarah, making Daryl cringe.  
  
Jarah tried her hardest not to look at the Dixons as she entered the diner. It wasn't easy, all she wanted was to curl up in Daryl's lap, especially when she finally laid eyes on her husband for the first time in 3 months. He looked tired, like he had aged a couple of years in the past couple of weeks. Something she probably was to blame for. She walked up to him on shaky legs, her fingernails digging into the palm of her hand as she tried to steel her nerves.  
  
“Wow,... Cuddle Bug, you look amazing.” Jarah cringed and she swore she heard Daryl grind his teeth so hard they almost crumbled.  
  
“Please, don't call me that.” she sighed. This wasn't how she had imagined this starting out. She was already annoyed by him and she had to remind herself to stay friendly. In the months during which she hadn't seen him, she'd forgotten how much she had hated him at the end. She'd felt guilty for leaving the way she did, but seeing and hearing him again washed those feelings of guilt right away and down the drain.  
  
“Right, sorry. Jarah it is. Hi.” He spread his arms and went in to get a hug. Jarah bit her tongue, but she let him. She didn't hug him back though, she just put her hand on his side for a second before pulling away again. Jackson looked down at her belly, but thankfully he didn't ask if he could touch it. “Let's have a seat, shall we?”  
  
“Alright.” She sat down opposite him and forced herself to look at him, keeping her face as neutral as possible, although him staring at her with that stupid smile made her want to throw up.  
  
“How've you been? You look good.” He started off with a round of small talk. Obviously not in a hurry to get down to business.  
  
“Fine, thanks. We should start talking about how we wanna settle this.”  
  
“Right, straight to business, hm? Don't wanna know how I've been? Don't wanna know if I miss you? 'Cause I do!”  
  
“That's not why we're here and you know that. Please Jackson. Let's just settle this.”  
  
“Fine. Not much to talk about anyway. You can have anything you want. Nothing's worth keeping if you're not there to share it with me.” Jackson sighed with a sad smile. He missed her and if she insisted on going through all this stuff, then he'd do it. He wasn't too worried, in his mind he was sure she'd be overwhelmed as soon as the kid was born and would come back to him, wanting his help.  
  
“I don't want anything, except out. You can keep everything we bought together, I don't need any of it. Don't want any of it.”  
  
“Alright. Since we never had joint bank accounts and there's no debt, that settles the whole property thing. What about spousal and child support. How much you want?” Jackson was prepared to give her anything she wanted. Well as long as it wasn't too outrageous.  
  
“Don't want spousal support. Just child support for the little one, but it's up to you how much you wanna give me. I don't want your money, that's not what this is about.”  
  
“When you got pregnant we talked about you staying home for the first three years of its life. That's what we agreed on right? That's what you want, so how much do you need to make that happen?”  
  
Shit, now she didn't know what to say. She'd forgotten that they had talked about that, when they'd split she had no longer considered it an option. But it was her dream. She would love to stay at home and just be Jamie's momma until he started pre-school and here he was about to hand it to her on a silver platter. But she couldn't do that, could she? Just sit on her ass and accept his money?  
  
Jackson realized her internal fight and reached over to take her hands. When Daryl witnessed that he slammed his coffee mug down on the table a little too hard and quickly looked away when it made Jackson look up and over at their table.  
  
“Damn, baby brother, keep ya shirt on! Those are her hands, not her tits.”  
  
“Fucking asshole shouldn't be touching her at all. Imma go over there and cut his fucking fingers off. Enough with the touching shit.”  
  
“Oh no you won't. You're gonna stay right here. You really wanna ruin this for her just 'cause the good doctor wants ta hold hands? Look at him, dummy. See the way he looks at her? It's the same way you look at her. Yeah, the good doc is still head over heels for our Shorty. The moment he learns about you two hooking up, that guy is gonna turn into the biggest bastard the world has ever seen. He can drag her to court. He's got nothing but time and money, he will sue her for custody of the boy and who knows what else, just for fun. He can make her life a living hell and you wanna know who'll she blame? You, baby brother. If you fuck this up for her, she'll hate you. Unhappy Shorty equals unhappy Dummy, so keep your ass glued to that chair, boy, and let her handle this!” Merle clamped his hand down on his younger brother's wrist and squeezed hard for good measure. Daryl just grunted and tried to focus on hearing more of what was being said.  
  
“You won't have to work, if staying at home with the baby makes you happy, Jarah. That's all I ever wanted. For you to be happy. Even after what you did, it's still the only thing I want for you.” The way he said it made Jarah's spider sense go all tingly. He wasn't being honest. There was something underlying in his voice and his words, but she wasn't able to put her finger on it.  
  
“No, I'm gonna work. I wanna provide for my baby and not by cashing your checks. I don't feel good taking your money at all, but our child is entitled to some of it.”  
  
“Alright, have it your way. I'll give you 150 dollars a week for the baby. That sound fair?”  
  
“Isn't that a bit much?”  
  
“I make good money, you know that. I can spare it. It's what we would have spent anyway if you would have stayed, so it really makes no difference.  
  
“Okay, thanks!” Jarah wrote it down. She would make him sign her notes later as she wanted it in writing for herself before they both handed in their letters to their lawyers that this is what they had agreed on, in case he changed his mind when he realized she wasn't coming back. “That settles support, last point on the list is custody. Have you given any thought to what you want?”  
  
“Like I said, Bug, I want you to have whatever you want.” Jarah narrowed her eyes. He couldn't be serious, this was way too easy.  
  
“Well I want the baby to live with me, guess you already figured that out. Do you want visitation?”  
  
“Do you want me to have visitation?”  
  
“What kind of question is that? This is not about me, this is about our child. I would like for you to be part of his life. So do you wanna see him or not? It's a simple question.”  
  
Jackson shrugged nonchalantly. “Whatever you want, Jarah. I don't care. It was never about the baby for me.”  
  
Jarah's jaw dropped open in shock and suddenly she realized that he hadn't even asked about the baby once. Not if it was doing fine or if it was a boy or a girl. Nothing.  
  
“What? Excuse me, but this is OUR child. How can you not care?”  
  
“I told you, all I ever wanted was to make you happy. You wanted a happy little family to make up for your screwed up life and I was happy to give it to you. I didn't feel the need to have a baby, but you wanted one so I gave you one. Let's be honest here, I'm not gonna be a big part of this kids life. I'd see it, like what? Once a week for an hour? I'd be the nice uncle who comes around to play here and there. Nah, don't need that. Got a busy life, you know that. Things would have been different had you stayed. Would have come home, to a real HOME, to a family, every day, but like this? Nah, not really interested. I told you, nothing's worth keeping if you're not gonna share it with me.”  
  
Jarah sat and stared at him in shock. A little voice in the back of her head told her to be relieved, but still she hadn't seen this coming. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat before she spoke.  
  
“So why not just waive your parental rights, then?”  
  
“No grounds. No court would grant it right now. I'm not endangering the kid or anything and it's not like you're getting married and the guy wants to adopt, right? Nah, you can have sole custody for all I care.”  
  
“I'm gonna need that in writing!” She quickly wrote it down and slid her notepad over to him. “Sign.”  
  
“Alright.” While he signed his name at the bottom of the page she studied him and decided to test him.  
  
“So what if I ever would get married and the guy would want to adopt? You'd just sign the papers? Just like that?”  
  
“Probably, not like we're ever gonna find out, right?” He smiled at her and handed her back her notepad and pen.  
  
“Right. Thanks. So, I'll write down my side of what we agreed on and hand it to my lawyer on Monday. Think you could do that as well?”  
  
“He'll have it by Tuesday at the latest. Got a gig tonight, but there's not much to write down, so I should get it done this weekend.” He took her hand once more and smiled. “Wanna come? For old times sake? Say goodbye?”  
  
“I don't think so, sorry. A packed club is not the best place to hang for a pregnant lady, as you should know, being a doctor and all.” She withdrew her hand from his and looked around casually, locking eyes with Daryl for a split-second. He looked ready to explode, Jarah was able to tell by now. She knew what to look out for. Fists clenched, eyes narrowed and jaw tensed and Merle looked to be talking to him pretty insistently. She knew they better wrapped this up right now, before Daryl did anything stupid.  
  
“Right, just thought I'd ask.” Jackson smiled and watched her stuff her things back into her purse and get money out to pay for the coffee she'd ordered, but left untouched. “You wanna leave already?”  
  
“Yeah, we're done. Everything is settled and I got plans. Nat is waiting outside.”  
  
“Ah, alright, fine. I'll walk you out!” He threw some singles on the table to pay for his coffee and started to walk towards the exit slowly waiting for Jarah to catch up.  
  
Jarah grabbed her purse and her eyes widened when she turned and saw Daryl get up from his chair, Merle trying to pull him back by his wrist, but Daryl broke free and walked straight into an unsuspecting Jackson, bumping into him hard, making the doc take two steps back from the force of it. Daryl got even closer, challenging him with his eyes, bumping his chest against Jackson's.  
  
“Whoa, dude...” Jackson was surprised by the strangers intensity, but figured it was just some crackhead. He dealt with people like that every day in the ER.  
  
“You best watch where ya going, asshole!” Daryl's menacing voice was almost inhumanly low. Merle shot up from his chair and grabbed his brother and pulled him back, smiling at Jackson and Jarah.  
  
“You gotta excuse ma friend here! Bad hair day. What can ya do? You nice folks just go on ahead!”  
  
“Come on, Jackson, go. I got stuff to do.” She quickly ushered him out, not looking at the brothers and taking a deep breath of relief once they were outside.  
  
Nat got out of the car and walked up, not wanting those two to talk to each other longer than they had to.  
  
“Ah, I see you brought the cavalry. Natalie...”  
  
“Jackass... You done here, sweetie? Then let's go.”  
  
“I guess I'll be hearing from your lawyer, then?” Jackson called out to Jarah who was being dragged to Nat's car.  
  
“Yeah, I guess. Bye!”  
  
“Goodbye Jackson!” Jarah got into the car, taking one last look at the man. His happy smile creeped her out to no end. Nat must have been right. He probably really thought she was gonna change her mind. She hoped he wouldn't flip out once he realized that she wouldn't ever come back.  
  
“So how was it?” Nat asked once they were on their way back to Jarah's house.  
  
“Okay, got everything I wanted. He's not interested in seeing Jamie at all. And then Daryl almost knocked him to the ground just now...”  
  
“WHAT? Shit!!!”  
  
“Yeah, but it looked like an accident, I don't think Jackson suspected anything. Let's just talk about the rest at home. I need Daryl to hold me for an hour or two to get rid of Jackson's image.”  
  
And as soon as she would feel better she would type her letter to her lawyer and forget about the whole thing once and for all and spend all her energy on being pregnant and making Daryl as happy as he possibly could be.  
  
######## ####### ######## ####### ####### #######


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
  
There weren't many things in this world that made Merle Dixon go all quiet and thoughtful. Nothing much stunned him into silence and made him retreat into his mind and made him think back to his childhood and teenage years, but the things Daryl had just revealed about Jarah's past was one of those things.  
  
Merle had teased his brother about trying to go all Rambo on Jackson on their way back to their apartment. He hadn't quite understood why Daryl was THAT angry at the guy so he kept pestering his little brother until he finally fessed up and told him about the years of abuse she had gone through, not only by her uncle, but also what her parents had done and finally how Jackson had made her live through it again.  
  
The older Dixon brother was more than surprised. He'd never spent that much time thinking about Jarah or her upbringing. She was pretty, she looked like she came from a good family and she seemed to have her act together. At first after he had seen her for the first time, he hadn't liked her very much. Not because she hadn't been nice, his dislike wasn't really her fault at all, it was born more out of concern for his brother. When he got to know her a little better when he helped her move into the new house he had changed his mind. She wasn't that bad to have around. She always made sure that he was taken care of and had food and drinks and everything. She was bad at making up nicknames, but she was fun to have around. They had started to bond a little, formed a connection. He had started to accept that she was going to be a part of the family.  
  
Merle wasn't as sensitive as Daryl, he wasn't able to pick up on auras and emotions as much as his younger brother, but he had noticed that underneath that big smile, there was always some underlying sadness in Jarah, but he had never given much thought as to why it might be there. Now he knew. She was a survivor, just like him and Daryl. She just kept on living and smiling where others opted to take the easy way out. She had gone through very similar things as him and Daryl. Sure her parents weren't alcoholics and both had good jobs and provided her with everything she needed, but she had paid the price.  
  
And just like that Merle felt more connected to her than ever. They were kindred spirits, all three of them. They had more in common than either of them had ever thought possible. She was part of his tribe now, he would look out for her. For all three of them, her, his little brother and the kid that just got abandoned by his own father.  
  
Merle's hands tightened their hold on the steering wheel. Jackson had been lucky that Merle hadn't known about him abusing Shorty like that before the meeting. He wouldn't have held Daryl back, no, he would have pushed his brother out of the way to take a couple of swings at the arrogant dick himself. Kick his nuts up in his throat until he pissed blood for a whole month. Merle might not know a lot about how to treat women, but just like Daryl he knew how NOT to do it. He had his faults and he still had a lot to learn, as evident by the way he had yelled at Marianne when they had been together, but he would never ever get violent towards a girlfriend or terrorize her like Jackson had done to Jarah. That was a no go. For Merle, the doctor was just as much of human trash as her kid diddler of an uncle. Really too bad that they couldn't do anything about it. He would just love to get some guys from the bar together and whip that little punk's ass.  
  
When they came up on their apartment building Merle parked the truck out front and then took the short walk over to Jarah's house by his brother's side. Daryl was still pretty tense, he stomped his feet like he was angry at the ground during the 10-minute walk. They hadn't been able to hear the whole conversation, just snippets, but he'd heard Jackson tell her that he didn't care about the kid. He'd seen her shocked expression. He wanted to strangle the guy. The way he had so casually said it, it irked Daryl beyond belief.  
  
They entered through the back yard, as they had all agreed that nobody needed to see Daryl or Merle entering the house from the street for the next month, and for once Daryl forgot all about his brother and Nat watching when he noticed that his girl was crying. He quickly walked up to her and gathered her into his arms, pulling her as tightly into his chest as possible.  
  
“I'm okay, really I'm fine. It's just all that tension from the past couple of days finally leaving my body. It's my outlet, don't worry!” she quickly looked up and sent him a little smile to reassure him that she was alright. Daryl cradled her tear-stained face in his hands and brushed some wetness away with his thumbs.  
  
“Sure?”  
  
“Yeah, really. I'm good. A little shocked by the things he said, but I know that it could work in my favor. Did you hear?”  
  
“Not everything.” Daryl reached over the kitchen counter and tore off a paper towel from the roll with a swift jerk of his hand and handed it to her so she could wipe her eyes and blow her nose.  
  
“We heard him abandon his kid! Heard that part loud and clear! What were you thinking, Shorty, marrying that fuck up? Smug little dickhead, good for nothing asshole. What kind of person says that he doesn't care about his kid? Hell, I care more about that kid than his own daddy.” Merle ranted while he paced in front of Jarah and Daryl, while Nat watched from her spot leaning against the doorframe. Everyone looked at Merle in surprise when he said he cared about Jamie and Merle was startled when he felt Jarah's small hand grab his and gave it a squeeze.  
  
“Thank you! I know I am not your favorite person in the world and that's why it means the world that you were there today. Thank you for everything, not just today, but also the past couple of weeks, for your help. And for keeping this one here in check today. Even though he got away from you in the end.” She laughed and nudged Daryl a little, while Merle shrugged and looked to the floor, a little embarrassed by Jarah expressing her gratitude towards him.  
  
“It's nothing, Shorty. Nothin' to thank me for. It's what we do. Gotta stick together.”  
  
“I'm not gonna apologize for what I did. That fucker deserved worse.” Daryl spoke up, referring to the shove he had given Jackson.  
  
“It's alright. It was actually kind of hot.” Jarah smirked, making Daryl blush, but he still grinned a little at her admission, glad that she wasn't angry about the little stunt he'd pulled.  
  
“So what did he say exactly? Jackson about Jamie, I mean? He really said he doesn't want anything to do with him?” Nat wanted more details, Jarah hadn't told her much yet, she had wanted to wait until the guys had arrived as well.  
  
“I asked him if he wanted visitation and he said he didn't care, that it was never about the baby for him. He only agreed to have a baby because it would make me happy and he wasn't interested in being his father if we weren't living together. Said nothing's worth keeping if I wasn't there to share it with him.”  
  
“That right there sums up Jackson pretty well. I told you Jarah, he is crazy, he only wants you, he couldn't care less about the little munchkin in there, all he cares about is being able to lock you back up with all his other trophies. Thank God that jerk will be out of our lives soon. Your not gonna ask him to come see Jamie, right? Please tell me you didn't tell him to come here!” Nat wasn't surprised by Jackson's reaction, she had suspected that it was only about Jarah for him.  
  
“No I didn't. I made him sign my notes. He agreed to let me have sole custody. No visitation. If the courts would grant it, he would even sign over his paternal rights. Oh and the best part, I think you were right. I think he believes that I'm gonna go back to him. I asked him if he would just sign the papers if I'd ever get married again and my new partner would want to adopt Jamie and he said 'Probably, but it's not like we're ever gonna find out.'”  
  
“Motherfucker.” Daryl muttered and Nat scoffed.  
  
“Wow, he is so sure that you're gonna come crawling back. He'll be in for a surprise.”  
  
“Yeah, anyway, I'll just type up my letter now to get it done. I just wanna forget about all of it and get it over with. Think you guys could give me some space? Shouldn't take longer than half an hour. Why don't you fire up the grill again. Got everything in the fridge for a little lunch barbecue.”  
  
“Yeah, whatever you need sweetie. We'll get out of your hair!” Nat hugged Jarah and kissed her cheek before the pregnant woman grabbed a bottle of water and got her laptop to take it with her to the bedroom. “Alright guys, come on. Let's get everything outside.”  
  
Nat opened the fridge and pushed various food items into the hands of the guys before she grabbed a basket and put plates, silverware and everything she would need to throw together a little salad in there and carried it outside. She set the table and quickly cut up some tomatoes and a cucumber and mixed them with lettuce, a can of tuna and some diced feta cheese. When she was done she went to join the guys at the grill. She felt cold even though the grill radiated heat, but the whole meeting had left a permanent chill at the base of her spine. She wrapped her arms around herself and suddenly had to fight to keep tears from falling.  
  
“I don't like this guys. I've got a bad feeling. He is so convinced that she will come back to him. The way he looked at her outside that diner...” The first tear rolled down her cheek and she shuddered. “What if he snaps? What if those 31 days are over and the divorce is through and he realizes she's gone for good and he just flips out? What if he wants to hurt her and the little angel?”  
  
The guys didn't say it, but both had been worried about the exact same thing. Merle put his hand on the back of Nat's neck and awkwardly shook her a little to try to mask the fact that he was pulling her into his side. She went willingly and rested one hand on his back as she sought comfort by getting closer and having more physical contact.  
  
“Don't you worry about a thing, Lil Bit. We're not gonna let anything happen to Shorty. We'll keep an eye on her. Hell I'll even play bodyguard and stay with her when Daryl's at work if it makes ya feel better, alright?” Merle was serious for once, seeing Nat cry tugged at his heartstrings and he just wanted to see her cute little smile again.  
  
Nat laughed a little and wiped the tears from her face. “Might not be a bad idea. Sorry guys, guess I had some tension to get rid off, too. I hate crying.”  
  
“Nah, you feel for your friend, it's alright. We're all high-strung 'cause of that jackass.” Merle now put his arm around her shoulders and held her a little tighter while they all stared at the grill, lost in their thoughts.  
  
“That kid's gonna be a Dixon. Right?!” Merle looked at Daryl with an unreadable expression and Daryl wasn't sure how to take it. Did Merle mean it like 'shit, you're gonna make her and that kid a Dixon, aren't you?' or was it a statement and he was telling Daryl to do it, giving his consent in the process? Daryl didn't have to wonder about the meaning behind his brother's words for much longer, because Merle wasn't done talking.  
  
“We're gonna make him one. People might think we're scum, hell maybe we are, but we sure as hell aren't the kind of scum that abandons a child. That boy's gonna know what family is.”  
  
Daryl was floored. He stared at his brother who kept his gaze firmly on the grill and flipped the burgers while keeping Nat pressed against him with his other arm. Daryl was waiting for Merle to break out into his trademark grin, to laugh in his face, but it never came. Merle was serious. Suddenly he heard sniffling and looked down at Nat who let out an embarrassed laugh as she wiped away new tears that were flowing down her cheeks. She wasn't overly sentimental, but Merle's words had touched her deeply.  
  
“Jesus, you made it your mission to destroy some of my internal organs today, huh? Wow,... that was really sweet, Merle.”  
  
“Well, my brother isn't the only one who can get all mushy. I reserve it for special occasions. Shorty's done alright by me. I gotta admit, I thought she wouldn't be good for ya. Thought she was a goody-two-shoes and would tell you that I'm no good and that you should kick my sorry ass out and all that crap. It never happened. She took care of me, made sure I was fed the whole week I was painting, always includes me, doesn't get all huffy when I tease her... You did good baby brother. She'd be a kickass Dixon.”  
  
Daryl could only nod, he was beyond stunned. Thank God his brother didn't expect a big speech or anything.  
  
“Wow, hold your horses. They've only been dating for a month and she is still married. I don't think she's in any hurry to get married too soon and Daryl looks like he is about to faint, so reign in the marriage talk, Merle!” Nat laughed, but she was still touched by Merle giving his blessing.  
  
“Ah yeah? And what about you Lil Bit? Gonna let Ol' Merle make an honest woman out of you one day?” his trademark grin was back.  
  
“Pfffft, you do know that living together and you knocking me up would be a prerequisite for you making an honest woman out of me, right?”  
  
“So? You saying that ain't in the cards?”  
  
“Ask me again when Bob is out of juice!”  
  
“You and Bob still going strong, yeah? Big mistake Lil Bit. You just gotta let me put you through the wringer. You'll never look at fucking toys again.” He wriggled his fingers in front of her face. “These will be all the toys you'll need. And that kickstand between ma legs of course.”  
  
“Good Lord!” Daryl made a face and shuddered, distancing himself from the pair a bit. Still his brother kept surprising him today. First the things he'd said about Jarah and Jamie and now the way he held Nat without a care in the world. If his brother was able to do that in front of him, why did Daryl have such a hard time doing the same with Jarah? That was something he'd have to keep working at. Obviously his brother was okay with them being together now, so he could at least put his arm around his girl when Merle and Nat were around. He suddenly realized that he did that earlier. He'd hugged Jarah and neither Merle nor Nat had batted an eye.  
  
“Hey. What's going on out here?” Jarah smirked as she noticed how close Nat and Merle were and then looked at Daryl with a look that said 'What the hell?'  
  
“Just havin' a little party, Shorty and waitin' on you so we can finally eat.”  
  
“You done with your letter?” Daryl asked as he put his arm around her shoulders. If Merle could do that with Nat, he sure as hell could do it with his girl.  
  
“Yeah, printed, signed, copied and stuck in an envelope with a copy of my notes with Jackson's signature, just in case. I'll just have to drop it off on Monday and it's done. Now I can forget all about it for the rest of the weekend.”  
  
“That's great. I'll take you, I'm working the late shift on Monday. Now c'mon let's eat, I'm starving!” Nat moved away from Merle and grabbed Jarah out of Daryl's embrace and pulled her over to the table and started talking about some funny incident at work.  
  
Daryl cleared his throat quietly now that he had a second alone with his brother and looked directly at him.  
  
“Thanks.”  
  
“Don't mention it, baby brother. Like I said, it's what we do.” And without another word Merle took the plate with the burgers over to the table, knowing how grouchy the women were when they got too hungry. But this time they were in a good mood, smiling and laughing. When those two got together they could be a little silly, but to the two men all they cared about was seeing them smile and hearing them laugh. Sometimes they had to laugh themselves while on other occasions they were just cringing from some of the topics that were just a little TMI, which had the girls in stitches because of the expressions on the men's faces.  
  
Jarah was happy, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Finally she was able to get her mind off of Jackson and the divorce and focus on nicer things. Speaking of, she looked over at Daryl who was chomping down on the rest of his burger. She studied his features , his scruff that turned a little bit of gray at his chin and the way the wispy strands of his dark hair curled up a little at the ends. Her eyes fell down to his broad shoulders and well-defined arms and her mind went back to the many times they had held her and how the muscles were moving under his skin when his hand was working its magic between her legs. She loved the tiny star on his right hand, somehow the image of his hand with the star tattoo squeezing her breast with the piercing always got her going.  
  
Today was no exception, today it only fueled her desire to be with him. Although she had been shocked when she'd seen Daryl shoot up from his chair back at the diner, she couldn't deny that Daryl bumping Jackson and staring him down like that, had been the hottest thing she had ever seen. The animalistic growl that had emanated from his throat had fried her ovaries and she had been in a constant state of arousal for hours now. She couldn't wait to be alone with him.  
  
'God, I want you!' she thought as she gazed at him with a dreamy expression on her face.  
  
Well, she thought that she had just said it to herself inside her head, but Merle and Nat's laughter and Daryl's stunned expression and now crimson complexion made her realize that it had actually slipped out of her mouth.  
  
“Whohoo baby brother, you're SO gettin' laid tonight. Better stack up on the carbs. Here, ya can have ma baked potato!”  
  
Jarah had the decency to blush, feeling sorry that she had embarrassed Daryl.  
  
“I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to say that out loud. Are you mad?” She looked at him apologetically.  
  
Daryl looked up at her, flashing her a glimpse of his baby blues from underneath his lashes, a little smirk evident on his blushing face as he gently squeezed her hand.  
  
“It's okay, don't worry.”  
  
“Guess I can forget you comin' to the bar with me tonight, huh?” Merle grinned while he dropped his sour cream-covered potato on Daryl's plate.  
  
“Hell yeah! Not goin' anywhere.” the younger Dixon grunted and looked up in shock when Nat instead offered her companionship to Merle.  
  
“I'll come with you. If that's allowed? Or is it guy's night or something?”  
  
Merle almost gaped at her and needed a moment to catch himself. “Uhm, sure Lil Bit, you can come. It's gonna be all guys at the table, just warnin' ya. Sure you wanna come?”  
  
“My other plans fell through. Jar-Jar and I were supposed to have girl's night tonight, but I think that just got canceled. I'm not gonna pussy-block her.”  
  
“Fine, you got yaself a date, Lil Bit!” Merle grinned. It would be weird having her there, but in a good way. The guys wanted to meet her and Shorty anyway, so he was sure they wouldn't mind and also he would be proud as fuck having the beautiful girl by his side when he went in there tonight.  
  
“Not a date, Merle.” Nat smirked, but Merle shook his head with a grin.  
  
“You just keep telling yaself that, Lil Bit.”  
  
###### ######## ######## ####### ####### ########  
  
They seriously stayed until 9 pm that night, Jarah couldn't believe it, but at the same time she didn't have the heart to kick them out. She enjoyed the atmosphere and the fun the four of them had together, once the baby was here times like these might be rare, but time alone with Daryl would be even rarer and she was itching to get her hands on him.  
  
As soon as she had locked the back and the front door she found herself pressed against the door, feeling its hard wood against her back all the while feeling Daryl's hard wood against her thigh. He pressed himself against her side, finding that it offered more contact than standing directly in front of her. Her belly seemed to be growing a lot more lately so hugging from the front had gotten a bit harder and didn't give them what they wanted as much anymore.  
  
Daryl kissed her hard, his lips and tongue moving urgently against hers.  
  
“Thought they'd never leave. Bastards! Knew exactly what they were doin' by waiting.”  
  
Jarah giggled at Daryl's frustrated tone of voice. “Yeah, they were teasing us. We'll get them back one day.”  
  
She kissed him back, her tongue gliding between his lips to tease his tongue. When she tickled the roof of his mouth she had his toes curl up in his boots and his fingers digging into her back.  
  
“Come on, bedroom! Not getting much accomplished standing up anymore.” she panted as she gently pushed her hands against his chest to get him to back off. She shed her dress on the way to the bedroom, letting it fall to the hardwood floor by the bathroom door, revealing her naked back and panty-clad ass to Daryl.  
  
“Damn girl, don't tell me you ain't been wearing a fucking bra all day!” he growled as he pushed his vest off and pulled is sleeveless shirt over his head, both dropping to the floor by the bedroom door.”  
  
“Why? That a problem?” she grinned as she looked at him over her shoulder, watching him toe off his boots and yank off his socks while she propped some pillows against the headboard.  
  
“Hell no. Bed. On your knees, you know the drill.”  
  
How she loved when he got bossy. She obliged and knelt on the mattress with her back to him, close enough to the headboard so she could support herself if need be. She shivered in anticipation when she heard the sound of his zipper and the rustling of his pants as it slid down his lean legs. The clang of the belt buckle hitting the wood of the floor told her he was just about to come up to her. Good, she couldn't wait any longer to feel his hands on her heated skin.  
  
She felt the mattress shift and held her breath, she could already feel the heat that was radiating from his body. Goosebumps broke out all over her skin when she felt his fingertips on her shoulder blade when he brushed her long dark hair to the other side. She released the breath she was holding with a loud groan when his wet hot tongue licked a long line from her shoulder up her neck and came to a stop behind her ear, catching the lobe between his teeth, applying a bit of pressure before sucking on it as his warm hands slid to her front, sweetly caressing her belly, acknowledging the little person that was growing inside of her, before his hands wandered up higher to cup her soft breasts.  
  
“Feel good?” he breathed against her ear as he rolled her nipples between his thumbs and index fingers.  
  
“You have no idea. They're sensitive as fuck.” she was moaning and arching her back involuntarily at his ministrations.  
  
“Yeah? They hurt when I do this?” He pressed his fingers together a little harder, pinching the hard nubs.  
  
“Uuuuhhh shit,...” she shuddered and grabbed the headboard, needing something to hold on to. It did hurt a little bit, but it was the good kind of pain that made the pleasure even sweeter.  
  
“Good?” he grinned against her neck when he felt her trembling.  
  
“Yeah, just like that, but not harder please.” She had promised him days ago that she'd always let him know how much she would be able to take that day, as he had accidentally grabbed them a little too hard at the beginning of the week. It had made her wince and it had made him feel really bad and they had both started to accept that communication was key when they were together like this. Also Daryl was really getting into the whole dirty talk thing. He still felt a little embarrassed sometimes, but as soon as he realized how much it got her going, that shame flew right out the window.  
  
“Want me to suck 'em?”  
  
“Yeah and more than that.”  
  
“Tell me.”  
  
“I want you lick them, too and I wanna feel your teeth, baby. I want you to mark me.”  
  
Now she had Daryl groaning as his hands slid down to her hips, yanking her ass against him a little more so he could grind is arousal into her a little harder.  
  
“Turn around.”  
  
He released her and made some space for her to turn around to face him. She remained kneeling, but spread her knees further apart as she leaned back, supporting her weight on her elbows that were now resting on top of the headboard, allowing him full access to her body.  
  
He didn't waste any time to lean in and drag his tongue over her darkened peaks, his throbbing cock didn't allow for much teasing today. He knew tonight was the night that they would truly be together for the first time and he was dying to feel her cum around his dick.  
  
He massaged the aerolas by drawing circles with his tongue around her nipples, making the the circles smaller and smaller until his tongue was right against her nipple. He closed his lips around them and started suckling softly. The suction gradually became harder and harder, his tongue flicking and teasing in between the wet pulls his mouth gave her.  
  
Her eyes were closed and her head fell back as little sighs and moans of pleasure left her mouth. She blindly reached for his right hand and when she found it, she guided it down between her legs.  
  
“Touch me, please.” she breathed as she shoved her panties down with one hand. Daryl pulled the offending garment down to her knees and inhaled sharply when his fingers slipped through her folds. She was drenched. He'd never felt her being this wet before. Clearly she was looking forward to the main event just as much as he was.  
  
He traced his fingers back up, finding her clit swollen and throbbing he rubbed the tips of two wet digits over it. Jarah's body jerked and she gripped the headboard and pushed against him. Behind her closed eyelids the images from the diner kept replaying over and over. How hot and sexy mad Daryl had been, what his voice had sounded like.  
  
On his fourth rub over her clit he suddenly felt her pelvis start to jerk haphazardly and he looked up at her face in shock. Was she cumming? This fast? Jarah grabbed his wrist and pressed his fingers against her as hard as she could when her eyes shot open and she looked at him with just as much surprise as he felt.  
  
“Shit, I'm cumming, oh FUUUUUCK!!!” she gasped and fell forward, holding on to his shoulder with her free hand, while the other one kept his hand between her legs firmly in place as she jerked against it. She came hard, Daryl could tell by the way her hips just kept on jerking violently for long moments and her deep drawn-out groans.  
  
“Holy shit,... oh holy holy shit.” she leaned her forehead against his shoulder and gasped for breath.  
  
“That was fast.” Daryl wore a smug grin on his face when she finally looked up, but damn, he had every right to be.  
  
“Tell me about it. Wow,... I'm sorry.”  
  
“The fuck you sorry for, girl? That was damn hot and what do you always say? It's a compliment? Damn right on that one.”  
  
Daryl?”  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“Fuck me, please.”  
  
“Thought you'd never ask.” he cradled her face in his hands, letting their tongues tangle for a moment, before his hands grabbed her hips and urged her to turn back around. Jarah moved around a bit until she had found the perfect position. Daryl meanwhile got rid of her panties and his black boxer briefs, a rush of excitement flooded his system. The way she was positioned was just like in the dreams he'd had about her, but this time, it would be the real deal. He scooted up on his knees behind her, his large hands caressing her butt cheek, spreading her crack a little with every other massaging motion of his thumbs. He let his hands glide down the side of her thighs as he bent his head down, not being able to withstand the temptation of the sinking his teeth into the firm flesh of her let ass cheek.  
  
“Aaahhh, stop teasing and fuck me already, baby!” Jarah squealed as she felt his teeth dig into her skin.  
  
“You were the one who told me to mark ya. I never disregard an order!” he grinned and grabbed himself to align his dick with her opening. He looked down, watching the head slowly disappear inside of her, feeling her walls gripping him tightly as they stretched out to accommodate his size. He only pushed in half way before he pulled back a little and then with one smooth thrust he buried himself inside of her up to the hilt. The head of his cock just brushing against the end of her. Dixon's weren't about length, but all about girth.  
  
“You good?” he ground out between clenched jaws. She was squeezing him so tightly that he was worried he might be hurting her after all.  
  
“Fuck, you feel so good, baby. Move, please. Do me good and hard.” she whimpered and wriggled against him, eager to get some friction.  
  
He nudged her knees apart a little further, making her lift her ass up higher and giving him an even better angle. This part he knew already, no first time here. He knew exactly how to “do her good and hard” and that's exactly what he did, his hips slamming into hers at a hard and steady pace right from the start. He watched himself take her, watched his dick entering her over and over again, the word 'mine' kept repeating like a mantra in his head.  
  
Jarah was overwhelmed with intense pleasure. No longer able to hold herself up, she let her torso sink to the mattress, her cheek pressing against the soft fabric of the sheets, as she mewled and whimpered. Her own hand snuck down under her, her clit was throbbing hard and was demanding attention and when she slid her slim fingers over it, it was Daryl who reacted almost immediately.  
  
“Fuck girl, if ya keep that up, this won't last much longer!” he groaned out between pants. Her walls were fucking milking him with all they had and he could already feel the hints of his climax coming on.  
  
“We got all night, let go, baby. I'm close.” she moaned as she felt her muscles start to tense up quickly, her climax just a few strokes away.  
  
As she tightened even more around him, Daryl wasn't able to fight it any longer. He felt the pressure building and the heat start to unfurl deep inside his belly.  
  
“Aww fuck, Jar.... fuck yes...” his cock started spasming inside of her as he thrust himself inside with irregular jerky movements. He slapped and gripped her ass hard as his orgasm tore through his body, triggering hers in turn. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and had to bite his tongue as he felt her clamp down on his over-sensitized dick and involuntary shudders rocking his body. He couldn't take it, he had to pull out after a couple of seconds, the sensation had been so intense it made tears sting behind his eyelids. He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder before he collapsed next to her, still gasping for breath. That had been so much better than the dream version, albeit a little shorter, but she was right, they still had all night.  
  
######## ####### ######## ######### #########


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17  
  
“Thanks for bringing me, Merle. Are you sure your friends won't mind me tagging along?” Nat was walking with Merle to the building where the guys lived to get his bike. He couldn't wait to have her sitting behind him and have that nice little body pressed against his back.  
  
“Yeah, don't worry. They always tell us to bring you girls with us. Wanna meet y'all and shit.”  
  
“Really? Then why haven't you said anything?”  
  
“Daryl can't bring Shorty 'cause of all the smoke in there and I figured you wouldn't wanna come by yourself. Guess I was wrong.”  
  
“Yeah. You were. I am perfectly able to go somewhere and be comfortable without her by my side, you know? I don't have the social issues she has. I love meeting new people. Have to drag her ass out from time to time. Meeting guys is fine, but other women, geez, that's a different story.”  
  
“Then how come you are friends? You're very clearly a woman.” He grinned while his eyes flicked down to her chest for a second.  
  
“Well you haven't seen everything yet, have you?” she laughed and shoved him against his arm before she kept talking. “Jarah and I were kind of forced into being friends. Okay not really forced, but hanging out together was kind of forced. We met in rehab and-”  
  
“Rehab? What the fuck were YOU in rehab for?” he couldn't believe that someone like her would have problems like that.  
  
“Nervous breakdown, anxiety disorder, stuff like that. It's not just for drugs and alcohol, Merle. Anyway, they have this buddy system for the psych patients. The ones who've been there for two weeks have to take a newcomer under their wing. You know, show them around, have meals together, introduce them to others from group therapy. I got her. I swear I thought she was a freaking mute for a whole of two weeks. Didn't help that she actually knows Sign Language. So she only talked to two deaf guys that were in some other activity group with her. Then one day we had group therapy again and I guess the therapists had told her that it was her time to share. And she did and all of our hearts broke into a million pieces. All of us cried, except for her. There sat this beautiful young girl, who was so convinced that she was the most horrible person on earth. That nobody would ever be able to like her, not to mention love her one day. She told us about her parents and she didn't even realize, that they were the bad ones. That her mother had lied just to get her in trouble. She was so scared of other women, that's why she didn't talk to me. She was so afraid that she would say the wrong thing and I'd hit her for it. Can you imagine? So after the session was over, I just went up to her and when I lifted my arms, she flinched so hard, she thought I was gonna hurt her., but I just gave her this big hug and told her that she hadn't done anything wrong. A couple of others followed suit and just hugged the hell out of her. We took her to get some coffee and slowly got her to warm up and talk and once that happened we just bonded so quickly it was ridiculous. Moved in together after rehab, just took a chance that it would work out, which it did and I got her the job at the nursing home and the rest is history.” Nat had tears in her eyes when she recalled those days, but she quickly wiped them away and smiled at Merle.  
  
He hadn't expected such a detailed answer to his question, but he didn't mind. It was kind of nice to get some background and to get to know her better.  
  
“Why were you in there, Lil Bit? Who made you break down? Whose ass do I have to kick for you?”  
  
“It's not like that. Jarah's pregnancy is not the first one I've experienced, you know? We have a lot of little kids in my family. Back then my aunt was pregnant with her second son. We were very close, she wanted me to be there for the birth and I was so excited. She had a healthy pregnancy, everything seemed fine. Labor was going fine, but then suddenly things were terribly wrong. My little cousin was stillborn. Doctors said there was a knot in the umbilical cord, he didn't get enough oxygen. He was just gone. My aunt was devastated, couldn't work through it, so she decided to leave her husband and her 6 year old son and hung herself in the attic. I just couldn't take it. First the baby, then her and seeing my uncle and my cousin cry and scream because she was gone. I just couldn't handle it.” she wiped the fresh tears away that were flowing down her cheeks, hating that she was crying so much in front of Merle today, but she figured it just must have been one of those days where just everything came out.  
  
“Shit, I'm sorry, Lil Bit. That's rough.” He wasn't the most sensitive guy in the world, but he understood that it's gotta be one of the worst things, if not THE worst thing for a woman to lose a baby like that and for Lil Bit to witness it and then have her aunt opt out, must have been equally hard.  
  
“It's okay. It's been years. I've worked through it. It's just, now that Jarah is pregnant and there are complications...”  
  
“Yeah, I get it, that shit just comes back and worries ya.”  
  
“Right. Man, we really gotta change the topic here, this is supposed to be fun, remember?”  
  
“Well, I'll show you fun. There's ma ride. Ever been on a bike before?”  
  
“I have and I love it!”  
  
“Yeah, don't call it crotch rocket for nothin', huh? Maybe you'll like it better than your precious Bob!” he straddled the bike and grinned, waiting for her to get on behind him.  
  
“Trust me, nothing is better than my little power tool.” She laughed and sat behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle.  
  
“Wrong, Lil Bit. Very wrong. Ain't no toy able to slam ya like I would.”  
  
“Shut up and drive, wanna get there before closing time.” she laughed, the thought of Merle slamming the hell out of her was actually making her squirm quite a bit and she didn't want him to notice.  
  
“Yes ma'am.” He revved the bike and took off towards the bar. His grin was almost splitting his face in half. He never thought it possible, but damn, he loved when she got bossy.  
  
####### ###### ####### ######## ###### ####### #######  
  
“Holy shit? Are you seeing this? Is that Dixon? With a girl?” Cody Carter couldn't believe his eyes, when he saw Merle walk in with a hot little piece of ass.  
  
“Woah, did he win the lottery or something? She doesn't look cheap!” Dan Hoffmann was just as surprised as everyone else. The girl was beautiful, looked classy, no way a girl like her would hang with a Dixon unless he paid for it.  
  
“Oh hey, maybe that's Daryl's girl?” Cody suggested as he kept staring at her. Old Frank, his uncle, looked at him with a comical expression on his face and hit him upside the head.  
  
“Idiot! Does this girl look pregnant to you? And why in the world would Merle come here with Daryl's girl, but without Daryl? Use your head!”  
  
“Nah that's not Jarah, that's her friend. Met her at work when she was looking for Daryl. Natalie, I think. Isn't that who Merle keeps talking about? Nat?” Joey had come back from the bar after getting a bottle of scotch for the table.  
  
“We're about to find out. Hey young lady, did that dirty old creep kidnap you? Blink once if you're being held against your will!” Dan grinned, addressing Natalie, earning a punch against his upper arm from Merle  
  
“Think you're funny, huh? Shut your trap, there's a lady present now. Lil' Bit, these are ma boys. This is Lil Bit!” Merle's introductions left a lot to be desired.  
  
“Natalie, actually. You can call me Nat.” She smiled and Frank was the first to rise from his chair and shake her hand.  
  
“I'm Frank, it's nice to meet you.” The others followed suit, raising their asses off their chairs a little and shook her hand and telling her their names. Natalie memorized them, she was good with names and she recognized Joey from Jarah's building. They were nice and made her feel welcome. Frank pulled a chair over for her from another table and Cody scooted his chair over to the side to make space for Merle who wouldn't let her sit between two strangers, so now she was seated between him and Old Man Carter.  
  
“What you wanna drink, Lil Bit?”  
  
“Just a beer for starters.”  
  
“Imma go get it, the waitresses take forever. You good for a minute?”  
  
“I'm fine, just go ahead.” She smiled at him and he gave her a little nod and touched her shoulder lightly for a second before he headed over to the bar.  
  
“He finally let you out of hiding, yeah? We've been telling him to bring you about 10 times now.” Dan smiled at her.  
  
“He didn't tell me, I swear I would have come out earlier to meet you guys, but he thought I wouldn't wanna come without my friend.”  
  
“It's great that you came out today. We were all curious about the girls that have the Dixons all turned around.” Dan grinned.  
  
“Oh we have them turned around? You mean to tell me that Merle is not always like this sweet ray of sunshine?” Nat scoffed good-naturedly.  
  
“You already got him all figured out, I see.” Frank chuckled. “Now what's a nice young girl doing hanging out with that sourly bastard?”  
  
“Awe come on, he's not that bad. You might be surprised, but I have no reason to complain yet. You just gotta know how to handle him. I'm not shy about telling him to shut his trap.”  
  
“Yeah, he always says you don't put up with his crap and that you'd give him a good fight.” Cody grinned. They all knew that Merle was smitten with the girl and they could see why. She seemed tough, but sweet and she seemed to be able to look past the hardened shell and find the good in Merle.  
  
“Oh yeah, you have no idea. He knows I'd kick his ass, that's why he behaves most of the time!”  
  
“What are those bastards telling ya, Lil Bit? They're all liars, just so you know.” Merle came back with the beer and handed one to Nat, who smiled in turn.  
  
“Oh I don't know, they seem to be pretty spot on to me, Merle. Sourly bastard was actually my first impression I got the first time I saw you. Sourly cocky bastard to be exact” She laughed and nudged him with her elbow while the other guys burst out laughing.  
  
“She's got your number Dixon. Can't fool that one!” Dan was jeering. He liked that girl, she had smarts.  
  
“How is your friend doing? She and Daryl can't come, huh?” Frank smiled at her and slid the bowl of nuts over to her so she could take some without having to get up.  
  
“No, second-hand-smoke is not the best for her and the little angel, but I'm sure she'd love to meet you one day. She's just a little shy. Kinda like Daryl.”  
  
“Well good you're here today, you can tell her what a nice bunch of perfectly upstanding gentlemen we are.”  
  
“Oh I will, as soon as she and Daryl come up for air which probably won't be until Monday.”  
  
“Ha, I knew it. Pregnant sex is just the best. They gotta enjoy it while it lasts.” Frank shook his head smiling.  
  
“Oh that's right! You're THAT Frank. The one who told Daryl not to stick his tongue in her?” Nat remembered hearing the name during a conversation with Jarah.  
  
Merle and the other guys sputtered, but Frank just chuckled. “That would be me. I didn't tell him directly, but I guess he picked up on it, didn't he?”  
  
“Yeah, but he forgot, only remembered afterwards. Was worried that he had killed the baby.” Nat shrugged.  
  
“Fucking hell, girl? I don't need to know ma brother eats pussy!” Merle shuddered. He couldn't believe that after everything he taught him over the years, that Daryl had gone and done it anyway.  
  
“Your friend Merle here thinks that only pussies eat pussy, you know that?” Frank grinned, as this time it was Merle and not his younger brother, who looked down at the table.  
  
Nat's eyes narrowed and she looked at him in interest.  
  
“Oh really? That so? So you don't do it? Not ever?”  
  
“Nah, not my thing.” he shrugged and stared at the label of his beer bottle.  
  
“Hm, interesting.” she took a swig of her beer and then she turned to Frank and mock-whispered. “Guess that solves the question of who the smarter one of the Dixons is.”  
  
The guys laughed and Nat winked at Merle and he almost fell off the chair when she placed a kiss on his cheek and grinned.  
  
“Don't worry, you're still my favorite!”  
  
“Better stay that way, too, Lil Bit.” Merle kept looking at his bottle, but everybody was able to see the proud grin he was trying to hide.  
  
###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ##### #######  
  
Daryl woke to the feeling of soft lips peppering little kisses all over his chest and a small warm hand sliding down over his abdomen before curious fingers threaded through his pubic hair, fingertips teasing along the base of his cock ever so lightly.  
  
“Again?” a grin parted his lips, a hiss escaping them a second later when he felt the sweet mix of pleasure and pain shoot straight to his dick as she nipped his nipple with her teeth.  
  
“Yup. You created a monster.” she grinned and let her hand encircle his hardening cock.  
  
“I did, but it's the best kind.” he raised his arms over his head to stretch out his limbs that were a little sore from the busy night they'd had. Frank had been right, she was insatiable, but he loved it and wouldn't ever complain about it. They had waited long enough, so a little catching up didn't hurt.  
  
Jarah placed hot open-mouthed kisses along his belly as she traveled down to meet her hand, while Daryl played lazy ass and enjoyed what she was doing while he gently played with her hair a bit.  
  
“You don't have to... you know.” he smiled at her, assuming that this was where her mouth was headed.  
  
“Only gonna say it once, baby. I don't have a problem with it. I like it, as long as I'm in charge. Alright?”  
  
He put his hand on the back of her neck to pull her up and he raised his head off the pillow to give her a sweet and gentle kiss.  
  
“Alright.” he whispered against her lips and released her. He chewed his lip in anticipation when his eyes fell on the hand that had started pumping his cock slowly. He swelled to full size rapidly, making her giggle.  
  
“Uh, good. Good morning, gorgeous.” Daryl groaned when she pressed her soft, pouty lips against the head and he gripped the sheets when her tongue snaked out between her lips and tickled the little slit teasingly. She let his erect member part her lips and gave the tip a little suck, pushing his hips back on the bed when they raised involuntarily.  
  
Jarah crawled back up and let her tongue glide into his mouth. They exchanged lazy, sloppy kisses as her hands roamed his torso and savored the feeling of smooth skin and coarse chest hair against her palms. She straddled him carefully and pinned his erection between his flat stomach and her hot core and once she had leaned back on her hands, she started undulating her hips, effectively rubbing her clit on him.  
  
“Mmmm, I promise I'll take better care of you later, I just need you so bad right now.” she moaned as she picked up the pace.  
  
“Don't worry about me.” he sighed contentedly and let his hands softly glide over her body wherever he could reach while he let her get herself off with the help of his cock. He never worried about his own orgasm. He got off on giving her pleasure and he knew it was the same for her. He knew she'd take care of him, she always did. So what if he had to wait an hour or two? They had all the time in the world.  
  
He let his fingertips tease over the bottom half of her breasts, caressed her swollen belly gently and rubbed his hands along her thighs while her movements grew more erratic and her breath hitched in her throat. She was close, just a couple of more rubs and she would come undone. He loved that moment, because every single time she'd utter his name and her voice would break a little towards the end as the force of her climax took over and stole her breath. Last night he'd found out that he could make her do that a couple of times in a row in quick succession. He just had to press her hips into the bed and keep up licking or sucking or rubbing, whichever he was doing at the moment. She'd almost torn his hair out and her hips were bucking so hard even he had trouble keeping her still. But he couldn't get enough of his name falling from her lips. More high-pitched with every orgasm. At least he would never have to introduce himself to the neighbors now. They knew his name now, he was sure of it.  
  
Jarah came and Daryl raised up and wrapped his arms around her and held her as she trembled and her pelvis jerked rhythmically against his. He stroked her back and placed little kisses on her chest while she rode out her orgasm.  
  
“You're the best.” she smiled against his lips as soon as her brain was functioning again. She got off of him and laid down on her left side to relax a bit before she dragged herself out of bed to make breakfast. She was starving and pretty sure that Daryl was as well. He turned on his left side as well to spoon her and she shivered and wriggled around when he tenderly stroked his fingertips along her spine.  
  
“That tickles, but in a gooooood way.” she giggled and tried to get closer to him, wanting his warmth to press against her back.  
  
Daryl smoothed his hand over her shoulder blade and slid it down her arm. He took hold of her hand and let their linked hands slide on her belly as he moved his body to press flush against her back.  
  
“You're so damn pretty.” He murmured in a whisper against her skin as he kissed along her shoulder. He felt the vibration of a kick against their hands and chuckled. “Your little boy agrees. Smart little fella.”  
  
“You're sweet.” She turned her head a little to be able to meet his lips. Daryl kissed her softly and gently rubbed his nose against hers before he let his lips press against hers once more.  
  
“Take me. Please.”  
  
Daryl hid a smirk, he loved that she couldn't get enough right now. She pulled her knees up a little to give him better access and only few seconds later he slid inside of her as deeply as the position would allow. While their linked hands still rested on her belly, Jarah raised her head and allowed him to slide his other arm underneath her neck so he could fully embrace her. He held her tightly as he slowly moved in and out of her, only speeding up at the end when he felt himself nearing completion.  
  
Jarah sighed and purred happily and when she felt him slump against her once he was spent she pulled his hand up to her mouth and kissed the tiny star.  
  
“Breakfast?”  
  
“Please.”  
  
“What would you like?”  
  
“Bit of everything?” he chuckled against the back of her head.  
  
“Hm, might take a little time, but I'm sure I can manage.”  
  
“I'm gonna take a shower while you cook, okay?”  
  
“Yeah of course.” She smiled and kissed him lovingly before she sat up and swung her legs out of bed. She stretched and grabbed some clean clothes from her closet and disappeared into the bathroom for a couple minutes before she got to work in the kitchen.  
  
Damn she was hungry, now that she was moving around her tummy started growling. She sipped some cold apple juice while she made some french toast, but it didn't do anything to satisfy her hunger. She set the table to distract herself but as soon as the smell of bacon and eggs hit her nose she could have died. Her eyes fell on the plate of leftovers from their barbecue the other day. That cold burger patty looked to be the most delicious thing ever right now. She knew she shouldn't, they would have breakfast in a couple of minutes, but still she found herself gravitating towards the damn plate.  
  
“Fuck it.” she sighed and grabbed it and took a bite and moaned. It was the most delicious thing ever. It was just missing something. She opened the fridge and got out the barbecue sauce, squirting so much on the patty that it almost dripped to the floor. She took another bite and was happy with the taste, but the sound by the door made her freeze and she looked up guiltily at an amused Daryl.  
  
“I'm disgusting, I know. I'm sorry, I just got so hungry. I think my baby likes burgers.”  
  
“Your baby does? Sure about that?” he smirked as he moved over to her.  
  
“Okay, maybe it's just momma, but it's so good. Wanna try?” She held out the rest of the patty to him to take a bite. Daryl leaned down and dug his teeth in and tugged the meat out from between her fingers. He grabbed a banana and placed it in her hand and gently kissed the tip of her nose after he had taken a bite from the burger meat.  
  
“Think about your baby. We gotta start watching that stuff better again. Don't want you to get sick, babe. Okay?”  
  
She nodded, knowing that he was right and just meant well.  
  
“Good, need some help for the rest?”  
  
“No, almost done, you can go sit down.”  
  
“Nah, wanna stay here and watch.” He wrapped his arms around her from behind when she'd turned back to the stove and rested his chin on top of her head while his hands took their spot on her belly.  
  
“Wanna make sure that I don't stuff my face with that steak next, huh?” She smiled as she placed the bacon on a plate.  
  
“You know I don't mean it like that. Right? Like your old man did?” He wanted to make sure that she knew he wasn't watching out for what she ate because he thought she was fat.  
  
“I know, don't worry. You're nothing like him. Couldn't be with you if you were.”  
  
He didn't even want to think about that. He couldn't imagine life without her anymore. He felt like he would literally die if he lost her. So was Merle right? Did that mean that he loved her? And the even more pressing question was, did she love him?  
  
He probably wouldn't get an answer soon unless he asked and he didn't dare doing that. If she would say no she might as well take a knife to his gut and twist it a couple of times.  
  
She'd told him once that women can't help falling in love with a guy that gives them orgasms or shit like that. He gave her plenty last night so therefore she must love him like crazy, right? Nah, didn't like that either. He didn't want her to love him just because he knew how to handle her in bed.  
  
“You're quiet.” she stated after a couple of minutes of eating breakfast in silence. “Well quieter somehow. Everything okay?”  
  
“Yeah,... tastes good. Breakfast I mean.”  
  
“Thanks. I figured that's what you meant.” She studied him, he seemed more awkward again all of a sudden, just like when they first met and she had no idea why, he'd been perfectly fine in the kitchen 10 minutes earlier. She let him be and didn't prod him any further. She hated when people did that, so she wouldn't do it to him and thus they spent the rest of eating breakfast in silence.  
  
“Wanna watch some TV or something?” she asked while they cleared the table together and Daryl nodded.  
  
“Yeah, okay. Can I borrow your computer?”  
  
“Um, sure. It's on the coffee table. I'll be right there, just gonna put on some sweatpants real quick.”  
  
He was already on the couch with her laptop on his lap when she got back, carrying her big soft pillow so she could get comfortable on the couch. She sat in the corner and stretched her legs out until her feet were resting against his thigh. Daryl immediately put his hand on her left foot and let his thumb stroke over her instep while he slowly typed letter after letter, using only his index finger.  
  
Jarah watched him for a second, but soon turned her attention towards her TV, she wanted to catch up on some sitcoms, she could always use a good laugh, so she went through her recording list and chose an episode of The Big Bang Theory. She was so focused on it that she didn't pay any attention to what he was doing, but suddenly a loud moan coming from the speakers of the laptop caught her attention. Her head swiveled around and she laughed.  
  
“Sorry, I gotta ask. Are you watching porn? Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind at all, but come on, I gotta ask!”  
  
“Not watching porn. Would be kinda crappy with you sitting next to me.”  
  
“Hm, not really. I seriously wouldn't mind. Everybody watches porn, but anyway. What were you watching if not porn?”  
  
“Nothing.”  
  
“Daryl.”  
  
“It's nothing, alright?”  
  
“Why are you getting defensive? What could be worse than porn?” He blushed and looked down at the laptop and Jarah's jaw dropped and she felt the urge to throw up.  
  
“Oh my God, Daryl. It's nothing bad is it? Like these movies where people get actually killed?”  
  
“No, Jesus girl! It's nothing like that.” he sighed frustrated and raked his hand through his hair. “I'm watching birth videos, alright?”  
  
Her mouth dropped open even more and he quickly added. “It's not some kind of weird fetish neither, before you start thinking that.”  
  
“Then what is it? Even I don't watch them, because I seriously don't wanna see all the things that are happening down there during labor. I saw one a couple of years ago and that was enough to traumatize me for the rest of my life.”  
  
“I just wanna be prepared, okay?”  
  
“But you're not the one that's giving birth, honey.”  
  
“Don't you think I fucking know that? I just need to know okay? I'm gonna be there and I gotta keep ma cool so I can calm you down. I need to know what to expect. Can't go punchin' out the doc when he comes near you with those fucking scissors.”  
  
“Seriously? You watched how they do an episiotomy?”  
  
“Need to be prepared for every fucking scenario, alright?”  
  
“Okay, just asking. Just don't want you to be grossed out next time you see me naked because you remember all that stuff.”  
  
“Takes a whole lot more to gross me out. Been gutting ma kills since the day I got out of diapers. Now watch your show and let me do my thing.”  
  
“Alright, whatever you need to do.” she looked back to the TV and had to suppress a grin. Daryl was seriously the best. He would be the most prepared guy to ever enter a delivery room with his partner and all without any urging from her, quite the opposite even. She suddenly felt the urge to call Nat.  
  
“I'm gonna give you some space here and call Nat. Ask how her date with Merle was.”  
  
“'Kay.” Daryl was already engrossed in his next video and not really interested in Nat and Merle.  
  
Jarah shrugged with a sigh and went out to the backyard to soak up the sun a little while she chatted with her friend.  
  
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“Soooo, how was it?” Jarah grinned after they had exchanged pleasantries.  
  
“It was good. The guys are real nice. They'd really like to meet you.”  
  
“Yeah? I don't know, not so good with crowds, you know that.”  
  
“They are very sweet Jarah, you wouldn't have a thing to worry about. Really!”  
  
“Okay, okay, but that's not what I wanna know. How were things with Merle? Did you kiss? Did you do it? Did he try something and you killed him? Tell me!”  
  
“Geez Jarah, calm down. Nothing happened, we just had a really good time and a couple of drinks. Nothing to write home about.”  
  
“Boring. So you don't like him anymore, or what?” Jarah was unhappy with this development, she thought for sure they would have kissed or something.  
  
“I do like him. I really do, but I think he still needs some work before something real could ever happen.”  
  
“You're probably right. Told you, you have your work cut out for you.”  
  
“Don't I know it, but I think the pay off will be great. What about you two? Shouldn't you be busy with something?”  
  
“Daryl's being weird.”  
  
“Please don't tell me that you still haven't done it.” Nat sounded exasperated, she thought she would get some juicy details the next time she talked to Jarah.  
  
“Oh we did it, don't worry. Screwed each others brains out all night.”  
  
“And now he's being shy about it?”  
  
“No, he isn't. He was fine one minute and then back to being awkward a minute later. I don't know, maybe it's the giving birth thing. He is watching birth videos right now, because he wants to be prepared for everything.”  
  
“That is incredibly weird and incredibly sweet at the same time.” Nat laughed. “As long as he is not making you watch them with him.”  
  
“No he isn't, he's watching by himself. I get the impression that he is gearing up for a home birth or something. Like he doesn't want any doctors or midwives and especially no Stephanie around, he's prepping to do it all by himself.” Jarah giggled and made a note not to suggest something like that, not even in jest. Knowing Daryl he would get right on that.  
  
“Maybe he is thinking about a career change. Dixon Doulas, the redneck way of giving birth.” Nat giggled and Jarah burst out laughing.  
  
“Oh my God, can you imagine? Daryl and Merle, those two badass rednecks, going to people's houses and tell them all about natural births and stuff? That would be so awesome, oh Lord, I think I just peed my pants.” Tears were rolling down her cheeks from laughing so hard and Nat was actually snorting like a little pig because she couldn't stop laughing.  
  
It took a while for them to calm down and Jarah giggled. “Oh my, that was good.”  
  
“Yeah? Any chance you said that to Daryl last night?”  
  
“Only about a thousand times.”  
  
“So it was good? No trouble with lack of experience or anything?”  
  
“No, you were exactly right. We are kind of taking these steps together so it's really not intimidating or anything. You were also right about the whole trust thing. It is very different to sleep with Daryl, than sleeping with Jackson had been. I am way less inhibited with Daryl, I gotta admit.”  
  
“See? Told you. That's great, Jar-Jar. You guys probably did what was exactly right for the two of you. You took your time and worked up to it. I take it he is giving you what you want? With the rough thing, I mean?”  
  
“Yeah, it's amazing. He is awesome at it, but at the same time he still makes sure that it's not too much. He makes me talk a lot and it really helps. Especially with the whole getting stuck in my head thing. He totally figured that out and found a solution for it. It was weird at first, but now I think it's kinda hot. You know I have a thing for voices, so when he keeps talking to me, man, that gets the whole thing going like nobody's business.”  
  
“Sounds really good. Just everything with you two... Seriously Jarah, I am so happy for you I literally have tears in my eyes right now. You know, I believe Daryl when he says he will never ever leave. I really think he's telling the truth when he says that there will never be anyone else for him. It's just the way he looks at you. I really can't wait until Jackson finds out. Can I be there please? Can I bring a camera? Can we like, wait in front of his house in the morning before he goes to work and then you two kiss in front of him?” Nat was getting all excited just thinking about ways of how to break the news to her archnemesis.  
  
“Natty, what are you thinking? I'm not gonna tell him. There's not gonna be this big reveal or anything. He doesn't wanna see Jamie, so he won't be coming around. He might not know for a long time unless somebody recognizes me and tells him.”  
  
“Damn, that's just not right. I wanna see his face when he realizes you're gone and have moved on. But who knows, maybe it's for the better this way. You know what, let's talk about something else. Baby clothes! We seriously need to get started on getting everything ready for his arrival. Get the list, Daryl's busy with your laptop, so I'm gonna look it up on mine and we'll see what the whole thing is gonna cost you.”  
  
The two girls got to planning and one and a half hours later Daryl finally showed his face outside. Jarah hung up the phone after confirming the time Nat would pick her up to go to the lawyer the next morning and smiled at her man.  
  
“There you are. Finally had enough?”  
  
“Yeah, think I saw fucking everything now.” He walked over and bend down to kiss her. When they parted his eyes fell on the notepad on the table she had been doodling on.  
  
“What's that?”  
  
“Just practicing my signature.”  
  
“What for?” he frowned. “You planning on an autograph session or anything?”  
  
“Yeah, for my divorce papers. Want it to look perfect. No, I need to practice it because I'll get my maiden name back in a month and I have to remember to sign that instead of Mason.”  
  
She was dropping the jerks name? He didn't know she was planning on doing that, but it made him extremely happy. She was getting rid of him once and for all.  
  
“What's your maiden name?” he was sure she had never told him and he had never asked.  
  
“Armstrong.”  
  
“Hm.”  
  
“Hm? Are you dissing my name?” she giggled at his reaction.  
  
“Nah, it's fine.” The name was okay, but he just thought another name would sound much better. He hated Merle for literally giving him his blessing. He'd already had all kinds of ideas in his head he really shouldn't be thinking about this early into the relationship and Merle telling him, that they were gonna make her and the baby Dixons, hadn't helped at all to push those ideas to the back of his mind, slam the door shut and lock it.  
  
It would never happen, anyway. She was just getting divorced, she would run for the hills if he'd suggest marriage. Maybe in a year or two she'd be willing to talk about it, if ever, but certainly not now. He looked down at her hand and sighed. It would look even better if she'd had a ring on it. HIS ring, but who was he kidding? He wouldn't be able to afford one anyway. It was a damn shame. Jarah and Jamie Armstrong sounded fine, but in his head, Jarah and Jamie Dixon sounded so much better.  
  
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	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18  
  
4 weeks later  
  
Jarah had just begun her 33rd week of pregnancy and slowly the honeymoon period of being pregnant was nearing its end. Sleeping was becoming increasingly difficult, she had trouble finding a comfortable position and kept tossing and turning a lot, keeping Daryl awake in the process, who had always been a light sleeper. So, much to his dismay she was sending him home at night a lot, so he could rest. He needed it with all the hard labor his job required. He was on his feet and moving all day long, therefor not sleeping at all for several nights in a row was not an option.  
  
She couldn't wait for the week to be over. She'd had so much to do and kept getting so tired in between that she had wanted to scream at everybody. She hadn't, thankfully, but only because she had the weekend to look forward to. Tomorrow was Friday and she would be officially divorced. She and Daryl would celebrate a little, maybe Merle and Nat would come over, too and then on Saturday morning Daryl and Merle would go on a weekend hunting trip with some of their hunter buddies and Nat had to work on the weekend, which meant for the first time in weeks Jarah would be alone for longer than a couple of hours and she was insanely happy about that.  
  
She LOVED being with Daryl and spending time with him and she loved having Merle and Nat around a lot, too, but she had always been kind of a loner and enjoyed the quiet, so this little trip back into her old life was very much welcome, as long as it was only for the weekend. She was sure she'd miss Daryl terribly by Sunday noon and wouldn't be able to wait much longer for his return. Until then she would wash the clothes and bedding stuff she had already gotten for her baby, watch TV, bake cookies and just lounge on the sofa and read.  
  
So when she stepped out of the doctor's office after her check-up and walked to the bus stop, she was lost in thought, already planning all the things she wanted to do, all the while digging in her handbag for her water bottle that always seemed to disappear at the bottom of the bag, despite it's size.  
  
“Need a hand, bug?” She froze, she'd recognize that voice anywhere.  
  
'You gotta be freaking kidding me.' she sighed internally while she turned around to face the person that she least wanted to see.  
  
“I got it, Jackson. Thanks.”  
  
“Just thought I'd offer. I know you always magically lose things in there.” He walked up to her with a smile on his face.  
  
“What are you doing here? Just got off work?” She had to fight hard not to roll her eyes at him.  
  
“No, it's my day off... fancy running into you here. You know, I actually got a question I wanted to ask you.”  
  
“Mhm. What question would that be?”  
  
“Well, I talked to my lawyer and apparently you went to the trouble of asking your lawyer to put a name change in your decree. You're changing your name back? Why? I thought you hated your maiden name and everything it represented.”  
  
“I thought information like that is confidential? Right, your lawyer is one of your old college buddies, hm. How much you pay him?”  
  
“So what I am to glean from this is, what? That you hate me more than you hate your family now? Is that it?” His smile had finally left his face, his eyes were cold as he stared hard at her. “I've never done anything to hurt you, never treated you badly and yet you punish me? It's time to grow up and end this stupid game, Jarah.”  
  
“This is no game, Jackson. Why is it so hard for you to understand that I don't wanna be with you?”  
  
“Because you're lying! You can't just be in love one day and then move out the next. Is it because I work too much? You want attention, is that it? Well congratulations. You got it!”  
  
“Just go home, Jackson. It's done.” She shook her head and turned around to leave, only to be spun around again by him grabbing her wrist.  
  
“This is not done. It's far from done. I love you and that's why I let you have your stupid little divorce and your stupid little name change. You'll be back to being Jarah Mason soon enough. I don't care if I have to marry you a second time, I'll gladly do it, but trust me, we are far from over. We were meant to be, there is no one else out there for us and you know it. Why else didn't you ever have anyone before me? Because I am the one for you. So fine, play your little game. I can wait. I waited 24 years, I can wait another two or three months.” He was so close she could feel his breath on her face and it made her want to throw up. There he was, the spoiled little rich boy, who got upset when he didn't get what he wanted.  
  
“You're hurting me, let me go.” She felt tingling in her fingertips and knew a panic attack was coming on, but she was determined not to show that weakness in front of him ever again. Thankfully he immediately let her go and she tried to slowly take deep regular breaths without being to obvious about it.  
  
“I'm sorry. I love you. And I'll wait... “ he leaned in to kiss her cheek, but she recoiled, causing him to look at her like a puppy dog that's been beaten by its owner. “Alright,... have it your way. I'll see you around.” He took one last look at her and then he left.  
  
As soon as he was out of sight Jarah leaned heavily against the building, hastily drawing gulps of air into her lungs. She frantically dug through her bag for her phone. But who was she gonna call. Daryl and Nat were both at work, she couldn't pull them away from that. Merle. Thank God Merle wasn't starting his new job at the auto shop until Monday.  
  
“Shorty? You in labor?” his loud voice echoed in her ear as soon as he had picked up.  
  
“No, but I need your help. I'm having a panic attack and I really can't get on the bus with all those people now. Can you please come and get me? I'm at my OB/GYN's office, at Johnson Ferry Road.”  
  
“Shit, I can't Shorty, I only have ma bike here. You gotta call a cab, but I'll meet ya at the house. Stay with ya til Daryl comes back. Alright?”  
  
Damn, he's right, she can't ride with him on the bike. Fuck, she shouldn't have called him at all. He's gonna tell Daryl and he won't let her out of his sight for a month.  
  
“No Merle, that's alright. I'm sorry, I was just overreacting. Panic attacks tend to do that. You just stay put, I'll be fine. I'm sorry I bothered you.”  
  
“Why you havin' an attack? Something wrong with the boy?”  
  
“No, he is fine. The streets are pretty crowded, it's probably just that. I'm sorry. I'm feeling better already. I'll take the bus, as planned. Again, sorry for bothering you. I'll see you soon.” She hung up and took a deep breath. She knew it was useless to ask him not to tell Daryl. He would do it anyway. She just didn't know what to do. If she told them what happened they would go ballistic and she just wanted some peace and quiet, but she knew it would be wrong to lie and keep it from them.  
  
She finally found the bottle of water and took slow sips while she calmed down. She felt paranoid all of a sudden. Had he followed her here? Or was it really just coincidence that they had met? She needed to get off the streets, so she decided to spare the money for a cab, instead of the bus. She just wanted to get home as fast as possible.  
  
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As soon as she had locked the door behind her, she released a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. She dropped her handbag on the dining table and slipped out of her flip flops and was just about to sink down on the couch when a loud banging against the backdoor made her scream in shock. She carefully inched closer and groaned when she saw that it was Merle.  
  
“Merle, what are you doing? I told you, you didn't have to come.” she unlocked the door and let him in.  
  
“Didn't sound too good on the phone. Didn't like it. I called Daryl at work.”  
  
“Oh no, why'd you have to do that?”  
  
“Because he would have kicked my ass if I hadn't. He's gonna try to wrap it up sooner. Imma stay here til he gets back. So what happened. You look spooked, Shorty.” Merle wasn't stupid. He didn't know a whole lot about panic attacks, but he knew she'd been suffering from them for years and was usually able to handle them pretty well if her social anxiety was the cause. She wouldn't have called him if the crowds on the streets would have made her panic. There was something else and he suspected that something might be wrong with the baby, so he hadn't hesitated to call Daryl to let him know and had promised him to go over and watch over her until Daryl could be there.  
  
“Want a sandwich?” she dodged his question and went to the kitchen and opened the fridge.  
  
“Yeah I'll have one. And an answer on the side. Wasn't the people on the sidewalk, was it?”  
  
“It was,... in a way. One person in particular.” She sighed and knew there was no sense in trying to stall. “It was Jackson, alright? I ran into him outside the doctor's office.”  
  
“Your crazy ex? You fucking kiddin' me? Why didn't you say somethin' on the phone. I would have ran down there if I fucking had ta! What did he do?” Merle was full on yelling, destroying all of Jarah's hope that Daryl might not go ballistic, but if Merle was yelling, Daryl would downright explode.  
  
“He was upset about me changing my name back.”  
  
“He fucking touch ya?” Merle was growling dangerously and she was just about to grab a knife to slice a tomato, but decided against pulling out potential weapons right now.  
  
“He just grabbed my arm, it was nothing. When I told him he was hurting me he let go.” She realized she had said the absolute wrong thing as soon as it had left her mouth. Now she couldn't take it back or explain it away.  
  
“HE HURT YA? He's dead. He's fucking dead, Shorty. Fuck, if Daryl's not gonna kill him, I will. He crossed the line.”  
  
“It's just 24 hours, then he's out of our life.” She tried, but deep down knew it was futile to attempt to calm him down.  
  
“You really believe that? I don't! We'll wait for my baby brother now and then you're gonna tell us exactly what the fuck he said to you.”  
  
“Okay.” she went ahead then and made them both something to eat while Merle was pacing and steaming, a curse leaving his mouth every other minute. With her plate in hand she finally dropped down on the couch and sighed in relief when she put her feet up, desperately wishing she would just be able to sleep for 8 to 10 hours just to escape for a little while.  
  
###### ###### ###### ####### ###### ###### ######  
  
She had just dozed off a couple of minutes earlier, when Daryl arrived, slamming the door shut with a hard swing and rushing toward the couch. He still thought that something might be wrong with the baby. Jarah jerked awake and groaned, feeling even more tired than before as Daryl knelt in front of the couch.  
  
“What's wrong?” his voice was laced with concern as his hand slid over her belly. “Is he okay?”  
  
“It's not the baby, bro. I was wrong. Was something else, though and you won't like it.” Merle told him and Daryl looked back and forth between them warily.  
  
“Would you spit it out already?” he burst out when both of them remained silent.  
  
“I ran into Jackson today. Outside the doctor's office.” Jarah told him quietly while she watched his blue orbs turn ice cold at the mention of Jackson's name.  
  
“Motherfucker. I knew it. I knew he wouldn't go quietly. Today's the last day... Should have known. What did he want?”  
  
“He wanted to know why I want my name changed. He got upset, he still thinks I'm playing a game or something. That I want his attention. Said he loved me, that's why he was playing along and why he would wait for me. Would marry me a second time, he's sure sooner or later I would be back to being a Mason.”  
  
“Don't forget to tell him that he hurt ya, Shorty!” Merle earned a glare from her, but just shrugged it off.  
  
“He what?”  
  
Jarah's eyes widened. She could literally see something inside Daryl changing, he was eerily calm on the outside, his body completely still, he didn't even seem to be breathing, but his eyes told a different story.  
  
“Daryl...” she was utterly scared that he would do something stupid.  
  
“What did he do?” His voice was deep and gravelly, but still soft and she didn't know what to make of it.  
  
“He grabbed my hand, to keep me from leaving. He got upset, but he let me go the second I told him he was hurting me. There's no mark or anything, I'm fine.”  
  
“Where does he live?” Daryl seemed to be completely controlled and somehow that scared Jarah more than his yelling and pacing ever did.  
  
“No, baby. I'm not going to tell you. He is not worth going to jail for, remember?”  
  
“He is dead, Jarah. I'll tear him apart with my bare hands. He doesn't have the right to fucking touch you. This was no coincidence. Today of all days? In front of your docs office? He went after you!” he straightened and turned towards Merle. “Let's go.”  
  
“No!” She got up as quickly as possible and stood in front of the door. “Please Daryl, I need you. I'm not protecting him, trust me, but if you hurt him, I'll lose you and I can't, so please, I beg you. Don't try to find him, don't do anything, they'll lock you up. You can hate him all you want, I do and trust me, I'd love to hurt him, too, but we can't. We can't do anything. Tomorrow we're divorced. If he tries anything again, I'll call the cops, let them handle it, but we have to stay put, no matter how hard it is. I need you with me Daryl. You told me you'd always be there. You had me convinced and now I can no longer do all this without you, so please don't get yourself in trouble.”  
  
“Get out of my way.” He completely ignored her pleas, he was too caught up in his murderous thoughts.  
  
“I hate to say it, but your girl is right, bro.” Merle put his hand on Daryl's arm and pushed him away from Jarah and the door a little. He'd had a couple of hours to calm down and think. What Jarah had said was true. Daryl couldn't do anything or he'd end up in jail. Beating Jackson to a bloody pulp and leave him for dead might feel good for a moment, but he knew that in the end, it would kill Daryl to be separated from Shorty and the kid. He had to look out for his brother and keep him from making the biggest mistake of his life.  
  
“You can't be serious. He can't fucking get away with everything he does!” Finally yelling Daryl was showing up to the party and in a weird way it calmed Jarah a little. He was starting to let his anger and frustration out.  
  
“He won't, he'll pay one way or another, but right now listen to your girl. What good are you to her behind bars? You hate sleeping in your own bed without her when she sends ya ass home at night. How do you think it'll be when you're in jail and will barely ever see her and only talk to her through a plexiglass window? It'll kill ya and then the asshole wins again. Think!”  
  
Daryl started pacing, his brother's words were getting through to him. He clenched his fists over and over in agitation until he couldn't take all the shit that was building up inside of him anymore and he kicked one of the chairs so hard it banged against the wall and one of its legs splintered.  
  
“Come on, I know just the thing. Can't trash all of her stuff, bro. Come with me.” Merle grabbed Daryl by the back of his shirt and dragged him towards the door. “Don't worry Shorty, I won't let him do anything stupid. I'll just take him to blow off some steam. You just relax, alright?”  
  
And with that they were gone. Relax, that sounded like a good idea. She was exhausted and could barely think straight herself. She would just have to trust Merle to take care of Daryl right now. She desperately needed to take a nap. She gathered all the pillows she could find and placed them under her tummy, between her legs and underneath her torso and head while she laid on her left side to elevate her a little. It still wasn't comfortable, but it would have to do. Thank God she was so tired she didn't care anymore and dozed off almost immediately.  
  
One and a half hours later she woke back up when she felt her hip starting to cramp. She sat up and listened for any sounds that would indicate that Daryl was back, but it was quiet. She carefully got up and waited a moment before she started moving so she wouldn't get woozy and stumbled. Her muscles were sore and achy and she decided on taking a bath. She went to the kitchen first and got a glass of juice. She looked outside and noticed that it was getting dark. She hated bathing with the lights on. It made her feel like being in the big tub in the nursing home where the bathroom had no window and the artificial light was way too bright.  
  
She looked around for a lighter and once she found it, she took it with her to the bathroom to light a couple of candles around the tub instead of flicking on the lights. Ten minutes later she sighed in relief when she sunk into the warm water and the scent of lavender surrounded her. She leaned back and closed her eyes, feeling her sore muscles relax already. She just hoped Daryl would be back soon since she had difficulty getting out of the tub alone these days.  
  
“Jar? Where you at?” she startled when she heard Daryl's voice about half an hour later. She hadn't heard him entering the house.  
  
“Bathroom. You can come in, just taking a bath.” she called out to him and smiled when a couple of seconds later the door opened to reveal a sweaty and dirty Daryl. “Hey...”  
  
“Hey.” he perched in front of the tub and leaned in to give her a little kiss. She was relieved that he seemed to be feeling better.  
  
“Where'd you go?”  
  
“Merle took me to the woods. I took an axe to a tree, almost felled the damn thing.” he told her quietly, leaning into the hand that was cradling his cheek.  
  
“Feel better now?”  
  
“Yeah, still pissed at the fucker, but I know I can't kill him. Not even hurt him. It sucks.”  
  
“I know. Come on in. Join me. Please?”  
  
He nodded and got up to take off his clothes. Jarah tried to be the good little girlfriend and not stare at him while he got naked, knowing that he still felt shy about being completely exposed, but she just couldn't help it. Fuck the George Clooney's and Brad Pitt's of the world, to her, Daryl Dixon was the hottest and sexiest man alive and always would be.  
  
“You're so gorgeous.” she smiled dreamily as she reached out and let her hand rub over his thigh and up towards his loins.  
  
“Stop.” Daryl was mortified, especially with the little jump of his dick from that little touch of hers. “Not much to look at. All them fucking scars...”  
  
Jarah scooted forward to make room for him and smiled as he got in behind her.  
  
“That's where you are wrong. I love them. They are beautiful, because you are beautiful and they belong to you. They are a testament of your strengths, they show what you have been able to overcome and survive. Don't ever feel self-conscious about them, not in front of me.”  
  
Daryl froze in the middle of the process of sitting down, his ass hovering just above the water. She loved his scars? So if she loved that ugly part of him, did that mean she loved the rest of him, too? Yeah, he was pathetic, he knew that. It's been four weeks since he'd asked himself that question first and he still didn't have the guts to tell her that he loved her. He did, he was absolutely sure of that now, but he couldn't get the words out. There barely ever seemed to be the right moment and when it did seem right, he just chickened out, too afraid she wouldn't feel the same way.  
  
“What's wrong?” She frowned over her shoulder when he didn't sit down.  
  
“Nothin', just thinking...” he finally let himself sink into the warm water and pulled his girl back against his chest.  
  
“I'm so excited for tomorrow. I'll be divorced and we can go out and eat and not care about who sees us. And you can finally go all out and bite and suck on my neck all you want. Now everybody can see that I'm yours and yours only.” she grinned when she stroked her fingertips over his thighs and knees that were at either side of her.  
  
“That's right.” A little smile appeared on his face at the thought.  
  
“No more affair with a married woman, huh? Does that make it a little less exciting?”  
  
“Hell no, makes it even better. Like ya said, you're mine. It's official tomorrow.” his arms slid over her arms to her shoulders and he started massaging them a little, making her moan in delight.  
  
“Yeah, just a couple more hours and he's out of our lives.” she almost purred when her eyes closed.  
  
“Let's hope so. Can ya do me a favor?”  
  
“Anything.”  
  
“Don't give the kid that jerk's middle name.” That had been on his mind for weeks, but he'd forgotten to bring it up, but now was the perfect time.  
  
“Trust me, I won't. Jamie won't have any affiliation to his bio-dad. One of the main reasons I decided to change my name back. Don't want him to be a Mason just like I don't wanna be one anymore and tomorrow it's finally done.”  
  
“Good. What did the doctor say? The boy doin' alright?”  
  
“Yeah, he's fine. Measures two weeks larger. I wanted to slap her. She knows I'm terrified of giving birth and she is all understanding and nice and sweet and then in the next sentence she is all like, oh that is a BIIIIIG baby. I mean, come on, is she trying to scare me on purpose? And then she's surprised that my pulse was racing?”  
  
“Don't be scared, that's why we're doin' all this stuff to prepare you, all the massages and that tea and the squats and everything. That baby's gonna pop right out of ya.”  
  
“See, that sounds so much better than what she said.” she turned her head and stole a kiss from him and grinned. “You're the best motivator, I'm glad to have you on my team.”  
  
He smiled and kissed her again, letting his hands slip under the water and stroke along the sides of her belly. “What about the blood pressure? Still okay?”  
  
“It's like riiiight at the edge. If it gets higher I'll have to take meds, but right now it's still okay. Getting rid of coffee might have done the trick for now.”  
  
“That's good. Just a couple more weeks, maybe we can keep it down like that. We can take walks together again tomorrow, walk a bit longer, keep you moving. Maybe it'll help with the pain a bit. Sleep last night?”  
  
“About four hours again, woke up once. It just sucks right now and it's gonna get worse. Should have enjoyed it more when I had the chance.”  
  
“Jar? Don't make me sleep at home anymore, okay?” he hated it and it didn't help. He slept like shit when she wasn't next to him.  
  
“I don't wanna keep you up the whole night, Daryl.”  
  
“I know, but don't you think I am old enough to decide for myself whether I wanna sleep at home or not? I can handle less sleep, don't you worry about that.”  
  
“Okay, I was just trying to do what's best for you, but if you wanna stay here that's fine. Just don't want you to hate me when the point comes that you're about to pass out from fatigue.”  
  
“I could never hate ya, so quit your worrying.” He leaned down and kissed her neck from her shoulder up to her ear, while his hands began their own travel upward to her chest.  
  
“Alright, I will. I will try, at least.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side, silently asking him for more.  
  
Daryl smoothed his hands over her belly and smiled a little. “He's gonna be here soon. I can't wait.”  
  
Jarah's eyes shot open and she looked at him in surprise. “Really? You're looking forward to him being here?”  
  
“Hell yeah! Why? You tellin' me you ain't?”  
  
“No, I am. I'm just surprised. With what Jackson said... about not wanting him, I don't know, I just figured Nat and me were the only ones who were looking forward to him being born.”  
  
“I ain't like your fucked up ex. I'll never be. You best remember that.  
  
“Truer words have probably never been spoken. You're amazing. You are so ready for this, aren't you?”  
  
“I am. And so are you. If there's something we know about kids, it's how to raise them. We know how not to do it. He's gonna have everything we didn't have when we were kids.”  
  
“Lots and lots of love?” she had tears in her eyes, glad Daryl couldn't see. She was so touched by how much he was into this. He wanted to raise her baby with her, he never left any doubt about that in her mind.  
  
“Yeah, lots of that. Some cool toys won't hurt neither.” he grinned. He was already on the lookout for a mini-crossbow.  
  
“Trust me, he's gonna have everything. Nat shops with abandon when it comes to babies and little kids. I mean, he's not even born and won't be able to use it for quite some time, but she already got him a ball pool and like 20 different rattles and even more books.”  
  
“Right, that room's pretty full already. Might have to expand to the guest room when he's a couple months old.” he chuckled. It was true, every single time Nat came over now, she brought something for the baby. Jarah had to send him out to get an extra shelf for all the children books and stuffed animals she had brought with her in the past month.  
  
“Let's hope it won't come to that. Come on, I wanna show you something and I'm turning into a prune. Let's get out. Or even better, you get out and help me up, please.”  
  
Daryl smirked in amusement while he got up and grabbed a towel to wrap it around his lean hips. “What would you have done if I hadn't come back? Stay in here til tomorrow?”  
  
“Maybe. I'm sure I would have found a way to get out, but now that you're here, I won't have to.”  
  
Daryl carefully helped her out and then padded over to the bedroom to get some sweatpants and a t-shirt he kept in her closet for occasions like these. Once he was dressed he went to the kitchen to rifle through the fridge. He was starving and Jarah had forgotten to cook over the whole drama.  
  
He glanced at her when she walked in and smirked. Her tank tops weren't covering her whole belly anymore and to Daryl it was just adorable, especially when she started pouting and grumbling about getting too big, which she really wasn't. She wasn't much of a “show-er”. Last week at her check-up, another pregnant woman had jokingly called her a bitch. She'd been envious that Jarah was still pretty petite at 32 weeks, even though Jamie was supposedly big, while the woman's belly had been much larger even though she had just been 29 weeks along.  
  
It might have been due to the fact that Jarah was carrying pretty high. The doctor had been able to feel Jamie's feet right underneath her sternum. The disadvantage was, that he was pressing against her lungs a lot and she got winded very easily, even when she was sitting down and doing nothing she sometimes got the feeling of not being able to draw enough oxygen into her lungs. That feeling scared the crap out of her, but she was learning to deal with it as she would experience it for a couple of more weeks.  
  
“Look! Isn't this cute?”  
  
Daryl turned around and looked at the black onesie she was holding up. It was a Johnny Cash one with his guitar and the words 'hello I'm Johnny Cash' on it.  
  
“Rock'n'Roll baby, huh?”  
  
“You know it. Gosh it's so tiny.”  
  
Daryl took it from her and spread it out over her belly.  
  
“It is, but when you put it on your belly like that it's huge.” He grinned when she swatted him.  
  
“You're an ass! Just like my doctor, you're not supposed to scare me you know?” She pouted, but it was all in good humor. She folded the onesie back up and sighed. “Stephanie said the computer might be off, they don't always spit out the right measurements. And she said most babies don't even fill out the smallest sized clothes when they are born.”  
  
“Really?” Daryl took the onesie back and studied its size once more. “Damn, he is gonna be tiny.”  
  
“Yeah. He's gonna be tiny and warm and cuddly and he's gonna smell so damn good...” Jarah teared up again and laughed in embarrassment. “I'm sorry, it's my stupid hormones.”  
  
Daryl put the onesie on the counter and wrapped his arms around her, kissing first the corner of her left eye and then the corner of her right eye, getting rid of her tears before he leaned his forehead against hers. “You're supposed to be excited, remember? It's all good. You're gonna be a great momma.”  
  
“I think you'll make an even greater daddy. Best one he could ever have, you're already looking out for him and he's not even here yet.”  
  
Daryl looked her in the eyes with a serious expression. “I'll always look out for you two. This is gonna be a family, alright?! You know I am not going anywhere, right?”  
  
“I know.”  
  
“Do you believe me?” He searched her eyes for hints of doubt, but there weren't any.  
  
“I do. You can be pretty convincing.” She smiled and kissed the devil tattoo that was peeking out from under the sleeve of his t-shirt.  
  
“Promise me something, okay? When we're out hunting on the weekend and that fucker shows up again, you're gonna call the cops, alright? He's got no business being around you anymore. You talked about everything there was to talk about. It's done.”  
  
“Yeah, don't worry about it. I don't think he is stupid enough to show up again, though and I don't intend on leaving the house. Got enough to do while you're gone. Don't worry and just enjoy your trip, yeah?”  
  
“I'll try.” he kissed her cheek and slapped her but with a smirk. “Now let's find something to eat, girl.”  
  
###### ######### ######## ######## ######### ########  
  
“Happy divorce!!!” Nat was grinning like a fool when Daryl and Jarah came back from their date Friday night to celebrate being able to be a public couple again.  
  
Nat had decorated the living room with a ton of balloons that read “Just divorced. Free at last” and Jarah shook her head laughing. “Wow, there really is a market for everything, isn't there?”  
  
“Sooo, how does it feel?” Nat handed Daryl a glass of champagne and Jarah a glass of apple juice, her drink of choice these days.  
  
“Good. No more hiding, thank God.” Jarah replied after having taken a sip.  
  
“And for you? No more banging a married chick!” Nat chuckled while Daryl raised his eyebrow at her.  
  
“Who knew you would be this excited. Not like you're getting anything out of it! Hey, Merle not with you?” Jarah looked at her questioningly.  
  
“No, I called him to ask if he wanted to come, but he said he's prepping the guns for the hunting trip or something like that. Well, if he wants to skip free drinks to be with his rifle, that's his choice. Hey, wanna try to destroy your wedding ring? Did you even keep it?”  
  
“No, I left it with him when I moved out.” Jarah frowned, something about Nat seemed off, but she wasn't able to put her finger on it. “Are you okay?”  
  
“Yeah, I'm fine, why shouldn't I be? Come on, let's put on some music and celebrate getting the jerk out of our lives.”  
  
“Alright.” Jarah nodded and went to put some music on. Nat's happiness seemed a little forced and it made Jarah uncomfortable. She got the dreadful feeling that something was wrong and that didn't exactly get her in the mood to party.  
  
“So what's the verdict? Ever wanna get married again?” Nat smirked quietly, thinking they were out of earshot.  
  
“Pfff, yeah right.” Jarah scoffed, distracted while she scrolled through her iPod, not really paying attention to the question as she was trying to figure out what might be wrong.  
  
Daryl's shoulders sank. He had pretty good hearing and heard every word the girls were saying. Even though he had figured that she didn't wanna get married again, Jarah had just crushed the tiny bit of hope that had been left inside of him. People might not think of him as a overly traditional guy, but one of the few things he had always wanted had been a real family. Husband, wife and a couple of kids runnin' around. For 36 years he'd thought that it would never be an option for him, but now things were different and there had been hope, that one day she would let him make her a real Dixon.  
  
Anger started to course through him, without him being able to fight it. She hadn't even thought twice about marrying that fucking arrogant asshole, but she wouldn't even consider ever getting married to him? That stung.  
  
“Want me to get out of your hair, so you can keep blabbering amongst yourselves?” he bit out, making Jarah look at him in surprise when she heard his angry voice.  
  
'What the fuck is going on tonight? Am I missing something?' she thought and shoved the Ipod into Nat's hands and walked over to him with a frown.  
  
“Of course not, what's wrong baby?”  
  
Daryl shrugged his shoulders and looked off to the side. “Nothin'. Just thought you wanna talk about your plans of never getting married again without me around. Could be kinda awkward, you know?”  
  
“Uhm, you know what? Maybe I should be the one who should get out of your hair.” Nat felt like she was intruding and she actually didn't mind going home. She didn't feel like partying after all. Jarah had sensed that something was wrong and she didn't want her best friend to question her about it today. Nat wanted to talk to Daryl first before Jarah found out what's been going on.  
  
“Yeah, maybe you should.” Daryl growled, making Jarah's eyes widen.  
  
“Hey, there's no need to be rude!” She told him with a stern gaze, but her voice was soft in confusion. She just didn't know what the hell had gotten into everybody.  
  
“No, it's okay, really.” Nat grabbed her purse and kissed Jarah on the cheek and squeezed Daryl's arm. “I'll see you soon.” She left and Jarah tried to catch Daryl's gaze.  
  
“What's wrong? Why are you mad? Everything was fine 5 minutes ago.”  
  
“Got things on my mind.”  
  
“Obviously. Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?”  
  
Daryl downed the whole glass of champagne at once and slammed the glass on the table.  
  
“Yesterday you said you believed me when I said I wasn't going anywhere. But you don't. Not really, do ya?”  
  
“Yes I do. You know I do. What is this about?”  
  
“What is this to you? You can marry that bastard who treated you like shit, but the thought of maybe marrying me one day is too ridiculous to even think about?”  
  
“Jesus, Daryl.”  
  
“It's what you just said.”  
  
“It's not. We were kidding around. Don't take this so seriously. Are you really upset over this? We've only been together two months-”  
  
“So? Who fucking cares? Are feelings tied to a time line or something? Sorry, didn't get that fucking memo. To me it doesn't matter if it's been two months or two weeks or two fucking days. I know how I feel and I know it's not gonna change. Obviously it's just me. You ain't into this as much as I am. And that's okay... I figured... shouldn't be surprised. I'm trailer trash. I'm never gonna be as good as a fucking doctor, no matter how much he abused you.” he yelled at her and threw his arms around in agitation  
  
“Stop! You stop that right now, Daryl. Don't you put yourself down. You are the most amazing person I have ever met. So what if he is a freaking doctor? He's an asshole and he will never be as good as you are. Not in a million years. You're wrong. You are wrong about yourself, about me and about this whole freaking thing.”  
  
“Then why don't you fucking enlighten me?”  
  
“Do you really not know how much you mean to me? No really, do I not show you enough? You mean the world to me, Daryl. I mean didn't we have that discussion yesterday when you wanted to go after Jackson? I want you and I need you with me. I am very much into this, Daryl. I can't stand the thought of losing you. I care so much about you that it scares the crap out of me, alright? This is real. What Jackson and I had was never real. I could have cared less about losing him. But with you, the thought of you leaving makes me wanna cry and scream alright? It scares me to death. And okay, I'm going to be honest here, the thought of ever getting married again makes me panic right now. Didn't work out so well the first time, but it doesn't have anything to do with you, you gotta believe that. I just got divorced TODAY. It makes me panic right now, but that doesn't mean that it's gonna stay that way.” She took a deep breath and sat down when she felt winded and tried to calm down. “You are right about one thing, though. Feelings aren't tied to a time line. I know how I feel, too. This time I do know for sure.”  
  
“Then why don't you ever tell me?” He plopped down on the chair across from her and started biting his lip.  
  
“You never tell me, either.” She laughed a little and he shrugged.  
  
“You're the woman. You're supposed to be better at this.”  
  
“Yeah well, I'm not. Sorry.” She was relieved when he gave her a little smile and reached for her hand.  
  
“Tell me. How you feel. I need you to say it.” Daryl murmured and looked up at her briefly. He looked so vulnerable she just wanted to give him the biggest hug. She got up and went over to him and carefully sat on his lap. She put her hand on his jaw and tilted his head up and kissed him lovingly, before a blush crept over her cheeks.  
  
“I love you.” she whispered against his lips, so quietly that he felt it more than he heard it. He looked up at her and saw that this time she was looking down and her face was beet red. She didn't know why, but she had such trouble getting those words out, maybe because they were so foreign and because her parents had never said them, not even to each other, when she was growing up and made her feel like loving someone was something to feel ashamed about.  
  
Daryl's heart started slamming against his rib cage in earnest and he almost knocked her back into the table with the force of his kiss. His lips soon traveled from her mouth up to her ear and tears pooled in her eyes when she heard his gravelly voice.  
  
“I love ya. Always will.”  
  
######### ######## ######## ####### ########## #######


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19  
  
“Didn't mean to make ya cry.” Daryl smiled when he finally looked at her after proclaiming his feelings for her.  
  
“They're happy tears, you know I'm a crazy cocktail of hormones right now.” She quickly wiped away her tears of joy before she pressed her lips against his for a long moment.  
  
“And just where do you think you're going?” He murmured against her jaw when she broke the kiss and tried to get up.  
  
“I'm too heavy, don't wanna hurt you.” She tried to wriggle out of his grasp when he held onto her hips, but it was of no use.  
  
“You're kiddin' me right? Do I look like I'm made outta cotton candy? Crazy woman.” He pulled her back against him and with a strong hand at the back of her neck, he pulled her mouth back down on his and pushed his tongue past her teeth to let it swirl around hers, while his hand slid up her thigh and under her dress. She gasped against his lips when his fingers found her center and rubbed her through the soft lacy fabric of her panties.  
  
“Like that, huh? Like getting fingered?” He rasped into her ear, smirking when he felt her shiver.  
  
“Hell yes. I love it.” She breathed as her eyes fell shut and lust started to stir deep inside of her.  
  
“What about me eatin' out that sweet pussy of yours?” His fingers slipped underneath her panties and traced along her slit.  
  
“Just as good.” Daryl frowned a little and chuckled.  
  
“Oh yeah? Not better?”  
  
“I love everything you do to me. You're freaking good at all the stuff we do.”  
  
“Tell me how you want me to make ya cum tonight.” He gently bit her earlobe as his middle finger entered her, making her moan his name and move her hips to take him in deeper.  
  
“Fuck me right on this table, right now. And I mean NOW!”  
  
“Reading my mind.” He smirked and just a second later she found herself seated on the edge of her dining table and Daryl tore her dress off of her body in one swift motion, leaving her only in her bra and panties.  
  
She leaned back on her elbows and watched him quickly opening his belt and ripping open the button of his jeans before yanking down the zipper. His hand slipped into his boxer briefs and freed his erection. He didn't bother with taking off her panties, instead he just yanked them aside and slammed himself inside of her hard.  
  
“YES! That's it baby!” She was moaning loudly, she loved this. He pounded into her hard and fast and she was barely able to catch her breath. Everything was heightened during her pregnancy, his touches felt so intense, she needed very little to cum these days, so when he licked his thumb and pressed it against her throbbing clit, she already felt her muscles tightening and the strong pull deep inside her core that signaled that she was close to orgasm.  
  
“Daryl, I'm cumming.” she groaned and there it was, the sound he loved so much. His name on her lips with that little break in her voice at the end.  
  
“I know, sweetheart. Just let go, I got ya.” he panted over the sounds of her moans and flesh slapping hard against flesh. He could feel her flutter shortly before her walls clamped down on him rhythmically and he quickly grabbed her thighs to keep her from sliding off the table, while she bucked and jerked. Daryl squeezed his eyes shut when he felt his own release coming on, her contraction muscles coaxing it out of him and with a deep growl he spilled himself inside of her.  
  
His knees buckled a little and he quickly braced himself with one hand at the edge of the table while they both tried to get their breathing back under control.  
  
“C'mon, up!” he ordered her, when he noticed that she was flat on her back, a position that was no longer good for neither her or the baby. He pulled out and took her hand to help her up and kissed her gently when she was back to sitting. “Get some water. And hurry.  
Got stuff to do to you before I leave for two days.” he grinned and slapped her butt when she had slipped off the table and went towards the kitchen. This time he'd make sure to leave some permanent marks, so everybody would be able to see, that she was taken and also very well taken care of.  
  
######## ######## ###### ######### ######### ########  
  
She'd thought she'd love being alone for the weekend. Boy, had she been wrong. The first six hours had been fun. She'd washed the baby clothes she'd had delivered in the past week and had cried a little when she had hung out the teeny tiny socks and shirts and hoodies in her back yard to dry. They were just so cute, she couldn't wait to put them on her son. She couldn't help but wonder what he would look like. Like her? Or more like Jackson? Would he maybe even look like one of his grandparents? That would be unfortunate, but she would still love him more than anything in the world, that was for damn sure.  
  
The sun had been burning full force that day so just two hours later she had been able to take the baby clothes off the clothes line and put them in Jamie's room. She organized the changing station, already equipped with diapers, wet wipes and everything else they'd need. His room was ready for his arrival, the only thing left to do was to pack a go-bag for the hospital. She got out the list she had gotten from Stephanie and packed everything she wanted to take into a duffel bag and left it by the door. Then she was done. And she missed Daryl. She did everything she could to distract herself, but not even her favorite shows were able to pull her in that day and she'd even burned the cookies she'd made because she'd gotten lost in her own head again for a while. Good thing he wasn't around, she was grumpy as hell. But then again, if he would be around, she probably wouldn't be grumpy at all.  
  
On Saturday night she actually cried, because she felt like shit from missing him so much. The intensity of the feeling could probably be blamed on her hormones and she hated that she didn't even have a picture of him. She'd have to get on that as soon as he got back. She slept crappy again that night and got up at four in the morning to try to make donuts for the first time ever, knowing that it was one of Daryl's favorites. Of course they turned out flat and tasted like fatty pancakes and she wanted to smash the plate against the wall, she was just ready to have this stupid weekend and his hunting trip end.  
  
At noon she was fucking elated when her cell phone rang. She desperately hoped that it was Daryl to tell her that they were on their way back home. She frowned when she read Merle's name instead of Daryl's on the screen, but maybe Daryl was driving and had asked Merle to tell her he was coming home.  
  
“Hey Merle. You on your way back?”  
  
“Look Shorty, don't freak out now, okay? Just try to stay calm.” Jarah froze, an intense feeling of dread washing over her.  
  
“Words of advice, Merle? If you don't want someone to freak out, don't start the sentence with the words 'don't freak out'. Where's Daryl?”  
  
“We're on the way to the hospital, he took a tumble and landed on one of his arrows.”  
  
“Oh my god, is he alright?” Tears filled her eyes and she started shaking, she couldn't stand the thought of him being hurt.  
  
“We pulled it out, went through his back, came out the front. He's gonna be fine, I reckon. Just need to get him stitched up. Don't you worry.”  
  
“Don't you worry? Are you fucking kidding me? I'm coming. I'm calling a cab and I'm gonna meet you guys there.” She hung up and dialed the number to call a cab. Once that was accomplished she grabbed her handbag and slipped into her flip flops, not caring that she hadn't brushed her hair and that she was wearing a t-shirt that was stained from baking. She had other things to worry about. An arrow that went straight through him, she shuddered at the thought. And they had pulled it out, are they crazy? What if he had nicked a major artery or an organ or whatever and was slowly bleeding out?  
  
Half an hour later she arrived at the hospital and shook her head incredulously when she found Merle outside smoking.  
  
“What the fuck? You left him alone??? Oh my God, is he dead?” Tears stung her eyes once more, but Merle shook his head.  
  
“Nah, he's gonna be fine. Dixons don't die that easy. They just need to stitch him up and give him a shot, they just took him into one of those rooms, said the doc was gonna come see him in a minute.”  
  
“Which room?”  
  
“The first one right around the corner on the left of the ER.” He hadn't even finished the sentence when she had started entering the building to go look for her wounded wolf. She found the room Merle had mentioned quickly, thank God the nurses had been to busy to ask what she was doing and she quickly slipped inside.  
  
Daryl was seated shirtless on a cot and looked up when she entered, surprise written all over his face.  
  
“What are you doing here? How'd you know I was here?”  
  
Jarah pushed his knees apart and slammed herself against him. She was crying again as she kissed his dirty face all over. “Merle called. Oh God, baby, what did you do? What happened?”  
  
He was covered in scratches and his shirt was tied around his torso and she winced when she saw the exit wound low on the left side of his stomach.  
  
“A fucking snake startled me, made me slip and fall down a ravine. Landed on ma fucking arrow.”  
  
“Do you think you'll be alright? Did you stop the bleeding?”  
  
“I feel okay, considering I had an arrow go through me. Didn't bleed too bad. Just need stitches and some kickass painkillers.”  
  
“And some days in our bed to rest. I'm not letting you out of my sight. I'll call your boss tonight to let him know. You got his number, right?”  
  
“Yeah, it's in my phone.”  
  
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him long and hard. The realization that she could have lost him finally washed over her and she clung to him for dear life. She couldn't stop kissing him and despite feeling shitty, Daryl couldn't help responding. Their mouths opened and their tongues met and they forgot everything around them. They noticed the door opening and slowly pulled apart while they looked into each others eyes.  
  
“Sorry lovebirds, gotta tear you apart for a couple of minutes. Gotta patch up your husband so you can take him home. Alright, Mr. Dixon, I'm Dr. Mason, now let's check out that wound.”  
  
Both of them froze, Jarah's eyes widened while Daryl's narrowed into menacing slits. Fuck, she hadn't even thought about this being the very hospital Jackson worked at. She hadn't even considered that she might run into him here, she'd been way too worried about Jackson. That might have been why the nurses hadn't stopped her. They knew her. She slowly turned around and saw surprise taking over Jackson's features.  
  
“Cuddle Bug? What are you doing here?” he smiled, thinking for a second that she was paying him a surprise visit. But then he remembered that there was a guy and that they'd been kissing when he came in. He looked past Jarah and then back to her as his smile fell.  
  
“Wow,... you certainly didn't waste any time, did you? Hold on, aren't you the guy from the diner? Fuck... you are... I see...” Jackson had a hard time believing what he was seeing. The ugly truth started to rear its head and he was no longer able to live in denial. She had really left him and obviously she had left him for someone else. He looked down and let out an incredulous laugh while he shook his head. He dropped his chart on one of the tables that lined the side of the room and stemmed his hands on his hips, trying to process what was going on.  
  
“Jackson,...”  
  
“You. Fucking. Whore.”  
  
Daryl slid off the cot, ready to let his fists do some talking. “What did you call her?”  
  
“Daryl don't... remember, he's not worth it. Please!”  
  
“I'm not worth it? Are you kidding me? What did I ever do to you? I loved you more than anything, I gave you everything and this is how you repay me? By stepping out on me with some backwoods redneck hillbilly?”  
  
Jackson's head whipped to the side with the force of Jarah's slap.  
  
“Don't you fucking call him that. He's more of an upstanding member of society than you will ever be! What did you ever do to me? You fucking raped my mouth, Jackson. You made me live through my fucking abuse again, that's what you did. That's what you call love?”  
  
“You asked for it you little slut!” Jackson grabbed her shoulders and shook her and Daryl saw red. He pushed Jarah out of the way and delivered a hard punch to the same side of his face where Jarah had slapped him.  
  
“Don't you ever put your filthy hands on her again you little piece of shit!” Daryl pushed the doctor hard against the wall by closing his hand around the younger man's neck. Even after being impaled by an arrow Daryl was much stronger than Jackson was. Jackson tried to pry Daryl's hand away from his neck with both hands, but his efforts were unsuccessful.  
  
“So what, you gonna kill me? You're fucking her, you know what a nasty bitch she is! If anyone's not worth it, it's her!” Jackson was clearly not smart enough to shut up, instead he provoked the man who was about to kill him.  
  
Daryl squeezed his throat even tighter when the door opened and two men who Jarah recognized as colleagues of Jackson's came rushing in, heading straight for Daryl.  
  
“Don't! He's defending me! Jackson started it.” She called out towards them and carefully touched Daryl's back. “Baby let him go, please.”  
  
The doctors pulled Daryl away from Jackson and tried to drag the bleeding doctor out of the room.  
  
“It's his kid, isn't it? I'm telling you, you won't see a single penny until I got a paternity test and trust me, if that kid turns out to be mine after all, I'm coming after you with all I got until I get full custody! You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna have the nurses let you hold it for a minute so you will always know what you lost when they rip that kid out of your arms and you'll never see it again!” He spat viciously and then left and slammed the door behind him, shaking off his colleagues who wanted to take a look at his bleeding face.  
  
“Let's get out of here!” Daryl grabbed her wrist, but she remained firmly rooted in place.  
  
“No, you're still bleeding, you need to get that taken care of!”  
  
“Right, In here? Now? After that? Nah thanks, can torture myself with a needle just fine. C'mon, Merle can do it!”  
  
She didn't like it, but she knew there was no sense in arguing. She followed him out, very aware of the looks she was getting. Jackson was well liked and now she was the devil who'd hurt the poor guy.  
  
“The fuck's going on?” Merle looked at them questioningly when they came storming out of the hospital and Daryl was still in the same condition as before.  
  
“The doctor who came in to take care of me was her fucking ex!” Daryl growled and Merle groaned.  
  
“Shit. He still alive?”  
  
“Unfortunately. Almost strangled the asshole. Called her a whore. I should go in there and take some needles to his fucking body.”  
  
“Ya can't, you know that. Shit we gotta get you home. Imma take care of that, but we gotta stop by a friend of mine to get you some good antibiotics, maybe something for the pain.”  
  
“Can't you do that once he's patched up? Please, he needs to lay down and rest. Please Merle.” Jarah could use some rest herself. The whole encounter had left her deeply shaken up. Her knees felt wobbly, she was surprised she was able to hold herself up.  
  
“Fine, guess that can be arranged. Come on then, chop chop, ain't got all day!”  
  
###### ###### ##### ####### ###### #######  
  
About two hours later Daryl was patched up, had his first round of antibiotics in him and was knocked out by the painkillers. Jarah watched him for a while before she pulled the blanket higher to cover his shoulders and softly kissed his temple before she quietly left the room.  
  
When she came into the living room, Merle immediately handed her the two pill bottles he'd picked up from his “friend”. Jarah assumed that friend used to be Merle's dealer, but she wasn't going to say anything about it. It was going to help Daryl and Merle was handing them over.  
  
“Here, take 'em. I can't keep 'em. Lock 'em up good. It's too fucking tempting.”  
  
“Okay. Thanks for getting them. Can't have been easy for you.”  
  
Merle just shrugged and followed suit when she sat down on the couch. “What do ya think happens now?”  
  
“I don't know, Merle. I guess I will have to call my lawyer tomorrow. But I don't see what Jackson could do. The divorce was finalized, we agreed on everything...”  
  
“But you're scared, Shorty. Don't even try to deny it. Can see it in your eyes!”  
  
“I am. The things he said, they were pure evil. I'm scared he's gonna make them come true. Jackson is one of those people who get everything they want. What if he finds a way to get custody? He's got more money, can maybe offer him a better life...”  
  
“Don't even go there, Shorty. That kid will stay right here with us, got that? They'll have to go through us Dixons first to get our boy.” he patted and then squeezed her knee comfortingly for a moment before going on. “And just remember, he didn't get everything he wanted. He didn't get to keep you, now did he? Listen, he agreed that you can keep the boy you got his signature, hell you even got two eye-witnesses who can testify that he said he doesn't want the kid. He doesn't stand a chance.”  
  
“Let's hope so. Shit, here I was worried about Daryl losing it and then I go ahead and slap him. That's gonna cost me dearly.”  
  
“Nah, it won't. Don't you worry about anything, Shorty. Just make sure that little squirt stays healthy, that's the only thing for you to worry about. Want me to call Lil Bit for you? Ask her to come over?”  
  
“No. She's having a long two weeks and she's working a two-parter today, so I won't bother her with this.”  
  
“The hell is a two-parter? You mean double shift?”  
  
“In a way, but not really. It means she went in this morning from 6-10 am and has to go back in from 4 til 9 pm. Worst shift ever. And then she has to go back in tomorrow morning at six, so she's gonna be tired enough, no need to put more things on her mind.” Jarah sighed and didn't even think about what she was doing when she leaned her head against Merle's shoulder. “Oh Merle, why can't you be a magician and just make Jackson disappear without any legal consequences? That would be awesome!”  
  
Merle looked down at the top of her head with a puzzled expression on his face. What the fuck was she doing? Since when did she lean on him when she was sad? It was weird, but also deep deep inside it made him feel accepted and proud.  
  
“Yeah, suppose it would be. Would be nice to get rid of the bastard. He's gonna get what's coming to him one day.”  
  
“Let's hope that it goes from your mouth straight to the ear of the good man upstairs. Wanna stay for dinner?”  
  
“Nah, I'll get out of your hair. You've had a rough day.” he announced and got up from the couch and walked towards the front door with Jarah in tow.  
  
“Okay, but I'll have a plate ready for you in the fridge in case you wanna swing by after your first day of work tomorrow. Just so you know.”  
  
That made him smile and he awkwardly patted her back. “You're a good one, Shorty. Take care of ma baby brother and I guess I'll see y'all tomorrow.”  
  
“'Kay, thanks for your help, Merle.”  
  
“It's nothing. Bye Shorty.”  
  
“Bye, Merle.” She gave him a little wave and closed the door.  
  
###### ####### ####### ###### ###### ######  
  
Dicing the onions had gotten the waterworks started and her emotions soon took over and kept them going. She had to put the knife aside and wash her hands and take a moment to just cry it out. Jackson's words had cut her deep. Not the whore and slut part, but the ones about having her baby ripped away from her. The image of her baby boy being taken away kept replaying over and over in her head and the pain she felt at that was sheer overwhelming.  
  
She just couldn't stop crying. The tears kept rolling and the sobs kept wracking her body all the way through making dinner. Nothing was able to distract her from those dark thoughts. When she entered the bedroom two hours after she had started cooking and crying, carrying the tray that held both their plates, Daryl was shocked at how bloodshot her eyes were and how pale she looked. He was worried that something else had happened while he'd been out of it, he'd just woken up about five minutes before she came in.  
  
“Hey.... come here.” he gently grasped her wrist and carefully pulled her closer. Jarah snuggled herself into his good side while Daryl kissed the top of her head. “Talk to me, sweetheart.”  
  
“It's just what he said. I can't get it out of my head. The thing about taking Jamie away. What if he can really do that?”  
  
“I don't think the chances are very high that it would ever happen. You got it in writing that he agreed to letting you have him. It was part of your divorce and that's been finalized.”  
  
“I know, but what if there's a loophole or something? Things are different know. He knows we've been together before it's been finalized.”  
  
“But there's no way he can prove it, Jar. We've been more than careful.”  
  
“But the diner...”  
  
“Could've been the day we met. Nobody knows. Don't worry about it, okay? It's gonna be fine.” He slid his hand over her shoulder and froze when she winced. “What's wrong? That hurt?”  
  
“Yeah, I think it's from when Jackson grabbed me at the hospital. It was pretty hard.” She shrugged off the sweat jacket she had put on after they had gotten home, and turned her head to get a look at her shoulder. “I think it's a little bruised.”  
  
“It is.” Daryl gritted his teeth and wished he would have succeeded in strangling the bastard, but then he got an idea. “Get your camera and turn on the lights.”  
  
Jarah did what she was told and handed the camera over to Daryl when he reached out for it. “It's got that thing where it puts the date and time on the picture, right?”  
  
“Yeah, why?”  
  
“Evidence. In case the fucker tries to press charges or something. Turn around, babe. I'll take one now and maybe another one tomorrow morning. Guess the bruising might come out more over night and be more visible in the morning.”  
  
Jarah turned so he could take the picture and smiled. “You're so smart. I wouldn't even have thought of that. Guess you're right, can't hurt to be careful and have something in our back pocket just in case.”  
  
When the pic was taken she put the camera away and put the tray on his lap.  
  
“Here, before it gets even colder. You need to eat something.”  
  
“Meat loaf?” he smiled as he grabbed his fork and knife. “That's the first thing you ever made for me. God, seems like such a long time ago.”  
  
“I know, right? Feels so much longer than two months. I feel like we've been together more like two years.” she smiled when she took her own plate in her hand and started to eat.  
  
“How are you feeling by the way?” she asked after the first couple of bites.  
  
“Okay. Not good, but not too bad either. Painkillers are good.”  
  
“You can have more in about two hours. Should make you sleep okay.”  
  
“Guess so. Call my boss yet?”  
  
“Yeah, I told him what happened and he said you can take a couple of days of sick leave without losing pay. He says hi and wishes you a speedy recovery. Nice guy.”  
  
“Yeah, he's alright. Is it cool if I stay here? I get bored out of my mind alone at home.”  
  
“Sweetie, do you really think I'd let you out of my sight while you're healing up? Well okay, I kinda have to, I have to get that heart scan tomorrow, but other than that, I'll keep my eye on you. You scared the crap out of me, you know that? Jesus, all the way to the hospital I was scared that you were gonna bleed out and be dead once I got there.”  
  
“Won't get rid of me that easily. Been through worse. Sure I'll be back at work by Tuesday or Wednesday.”  
  
“You're crazy. Wouldn't hurt to take it easy.”  
  
“I'll be fine.” he finished the rest of his meal and held his empty plate out to her with a cute look on his face. “Can I get some more?”  
  
“Sure baby, coming right up.” She took his plate and kissed him lovingly before she left for the kitchen, relieved that his appetite was still the same as before the accident. Had to be a good sign.  
  
###### ###### ####### ####### ####### ####### ######  
  
After another relatively sleepless night Jarah had the headache of a lifetime the next morning. She moved like a snail, every movement hurt her head, but she still made breakfast for herself and Daryl and made sure he took his pills before she left for her appointment with the cardiologist.  
  
She hadn't been gone five minutes, when Daryl's cell phone buzzed. He frowned when he saw that it was Nat. Why on earth would she call him?  
  
“Nat? What's up?”  
  
“Hey, I'm sorry to bother you at work, but I need to talk to you. Can you talk?”  
  
“Yeah, not at work. Had a little accident in the woods. I'm staying home for a couple of days to heal up.”  
  
“Oh shit, what happened? Is it bad?”  
  
“Nah, fell and one of my bolts went right through me. I'm good, nothing to worry about. What you wanna talk about?”  
  
“When you say you're staying home, you mean at Jarah's or at your place?”  
  
“Jarah's. Why?”  
  
“Is she around?”  
  
“No, the fuck is going on?” He got a bad feeling. Why was she being weird. He'd sensed it on Friday and today it was just the same all over again.  
  
“Listen, last week I heard something I wasn't supposed to hear. It's bad.”  
  
Daryl sighed and rubbed his hand through his face. Of course it was bad. Why would they even have a minute of peace for once?  
  
“Spit it out. What is it?”  
  
“You know how our boss is not happy about Jarah being pregnant, right? He can't fire her while she's pregnant, but he found a way to get rid of her once she popped Jamie out. She's gonna lose her job, Daryl.”  
  
“Aw shit, come on! Are you kidding me? For real, are you fucking kidding me right now?” he couldn't believe it. She would freak out. She's always worried about money being tight and now that. And he'd practically made her move into the house which was a 150 dollars more each month.  
  
“I know. I had to go in for evaluation on Friday and I waited in front of his office and heard him talk about it. He's gonna offer her a promotion, which would mean longer hours and more overtime because she'd have to do a shitload of paperwork. He knows she can't take it with the baby. If she doesn't take it he can argue that there is no more position for her at the home if she doesn't fill the new one and can let her go. And he will. I don't know what to do here, I don't know if we should tell her right away.”  
  
“Fuck. I don't know, Nat. We gotta warn her, but you know what she's gonna do. She's gonna run around like crazy trying to find another job at fucking 34 weeks pregnant. Nobody would even think about hiring her. Shit. SHIT!”  
  
“What do we do?” Nat sighed, feeling just as helpless as Daryl was feeling. Nat was lucky, she had a great family, if it was her in Jarah's shoes, she wouldn't have to worry about a thing. Her parents always took care of her and gave her money, even though she had a job. Jarah didn't have that luxury. Her father would just see it as another failure and mock her for it.  
  
“I don't know. Damn. Look, don't tell her yet, okay? I'll figure something out. No need to upset her right now unless we really can't find a way to fix this.”  
  
“Is there even a way to fix this? You gonna go and find her a job?”  
  
“Just gimme some time. I'll think it through and you just chill the fuck out alright. Don't keep acting sketchy. It was obvious that something was up.”  
  
“I know, sorry. Well nothing to worry about, I am working two weeks straight, so I won't be around until my next day off.”  
  
“Good.”  
  
“Good?!?” Nat was a little offended, but Daryl quickly explained.  
  
“I didn't mean good, as in good. Damn, you know what I meant. Just keep your trap shut when you're on the phone with her, alright?”  
  
“Alright. I gotta go, my break is over. Take care Daryl.”  
  
“Yeah, you too.”  
  
They hung up and Daryl banged his head back against the headboard a couple of times. Jarah would absolutely freak out. Damn, why did she waive her right to get spousal support, that could have helped out. But she didn't want the fucker's money and Daryl understood, but fucking hell, it would have helped out a great deal. One thing he knew for sure was that he just couldn't tell her right now. She was still a bit of a mess over the whole thing that had happened yesterday, if she found out that she was gonna be out of a job after giving birth, she would just break down and that couldn't happen.  
  
He got up to take a piss, wincing at the soreness in his side, but after moving around a little it started to feel better. After using the bathroom he went to the fridge to get himself some juice before he went back to the bedroom. He stopped at the closet and pulled out one of his shirts he kept there as he was getting a little cold when he kept laying around like that. He stopped in his tracks when he was about to close the closet door. A thought that had been constantly drifting around the back of his mind ever since he spent his first weekend here with her, pushed itself to the front. He knew a way to help her out.  
  
Question was, how would she react and even more important, how would he go about it without making her think that the only reason he wanted to do it was because he wanted to help her? Maybe this time off from work would turn out to be a blessing. It would give him a lot of time to think.  
  
###### ###### ####### ####### ###### ####### ###### ######


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20  
  
Daryl groaned when he heard his cell phone ring for the second time that morning. He hadn't even realized how tired he'd been and that he'd fallen back asleep soon after he'd gotten back into bed. He squinted, eyes barely open, and fumbled for his cell phone that was located on the nightstand right next to him and when he read the caller ID he released yet another groan.  
  
“Damn Nat, I told you to give me some time to think and I didn't mean just half an hour.” he didn't bother saying hello. His side was throbbing, the painkillers were slowly losing their effect. Time to take some more as soon as he got rid of Nat.  
  
“Half an hour? It's been four and a half hours Daryl, I just got off work. So you haven't noticed that your girlfriend isn't back yet, have you?”  
  
Suddenly he was wide awake. If it's been that long, she should have been back by now. He looked at her alarm clock on her side of the bed and Nat was right, it was 2.34 pm. Jarah had been gone for almost five hours. Something was wrong.  
  
“Where is she?” he winced when he got out of bed to change out of his sweat pants and into his black jeans.  
  
“Hospital. She collapsed. Don't know much more right now.” Natalie sighed and Daryl finally noticed that her voice was all shaky. She was scared. He didn't feel much better. Fear and panic started to get a hold of him, it felt like a thick layer of ice was coating his insides.  
  
“Shit, Nat. Is she okay? Is the boy okay? Is she in labor? It's way too early!”  
  
“Daryl, I told you, I don't know! I'm headed to the hospital. Are you okay to drive or do you want me to pick you up?”  
  
“I'm good, painkillers wore off, I'll drive there myself.”  
  
Without another word he hung up, yanked his boots on and grabbed his wallet and keys and then he was out the door, all the while praying that Jarah and Jamie would be alright.  
  
##### ##### ###### ###### ######  
  
“Why the fuck would they even call you instead of me?”  
  
Daryl wasn't one for pleasantries today. He and Nat had just exchanged nods when they had met up in front of the hospital.  
  
“I'm still listed as her emergency contact. Guess you guys forgot to change that.”  
  
“Why did it even take them this fucking long to call ya? She's gotta have been here for hours!” Daryl couldn't stop thinking about her going through whatever she was going through all alone.  
  
“They must have tried for quite some time, but I left my phone in my locker after calling you. Had a gazillion messages when I got back to change.”  
  
“Damnit Nat! She's been alone the whole fucking time, because you couldn't be bothered to take your goddamn phone with ya?”  
  
“I know you want someone to blame right now, but I'm not it, so stop that right now or I'll kick your ass. Nobody could have known that this would happen.” Nat had enough of Daryl's attitude. She knew he was out of his mind with worry, so was she, but that didn't mean she would let him blame her for this.  
  
“Goddamn hospital, if I run into her ex again, I'll kill him this time!” Daryl muttered as they made their way inside.  
  
“What do you mean again? Oh because of the diner?”  
  
“Nah, came here yesterday. He was the one who was supposed to patch me up. Didn't end well.”  
  
Nat's mouth dropped open. “Holy fuck! What??? What happened? Why didn't you guys tell me?”  
  
“Can we talk about this later?” They got to the nurses station, they still had to find out where Jarah was and Daryl wouldn't wait another minute to find her. “Looking for Jarah Mason.” he growled at the nurse.  
  
The nurse looked it up and shook her head. “Don't have anybody by that name.”  
  
“The fuck do you mean you ain't got anybody by that name?” Daryl wanted to strangle the woman with her bored tone of voice.  
  
“Daryl, relax. Try Jarah Armstrong. Remember?” Nat put her hand on his arm and Daryl suddenly felt stupid. Right, she had her name changed. It was still pretty fresh so he'd just forgotten about it.  
  
“Maternity ward on the third floor. Room 305.” The nurse told them in her monotonous voice and Daryl felt his stomach drop while he looked at Nat in shock.  
  
“Maternity ward? Did she have the baby? I told her I'd be there...”  
  
Nat pulled him with her and tried to smile in order to calm him down.  
  
“Doesn't have to mean anything Daryl. She's pregnant so it's normal that she's there. That's where they do all the CTGs and ultrasounds and stuff. It's gonna be fine.” Truth was, she wasn't so sure herself. Anything could have happened.  
  
They rode the elevator up to the third floor and as soon as the doors opened it was like they were in another world. No hectic nurses and doctors running around, no cacophony of loud voices. Music was playing over the speakers, there were big comfortable sofas in front of the huge floor to ceiling glass windows, there were jungle gyms for little kids in one corner and a corner with books and toys. There were some babies crying, but other than that it was pretty peaceful and even though he was pretty high-strung, Daryl felt himself relax a little.  
  
“Nice, isn't it? This is where she'll give birth, so take a good look around, you might spend a couple of days here.” Nat smiled and when a nurse came towards them she asked her to point them towards Jarah's room.  
  
“Could you please tell me your names first?” The nurse walked with them to the nurses station and pulled out a file.  
  
“Natalie Wooderson and Daryl Dixon.” Nat told her their names, she knew that it was standard protocol for the maternity ward not to let just anyone see the mothers.  
  
“Alright. She is in 305, that's at the end of the hall and then to the left. It's the last room on the right.”  
  
“Thank you, come on Daryl, let's see our girl.”  
  
Nat almost had to run to keep up with Daryl and he didn't even think to knock before he burst through the door, not thinking about whether or not somebody else was in that room with her. The strange woman he found looked up at him startled and Nat quickly smiled and apologized, while Daryl stomped into the room and finally found his love in the bed on the other side of the room. He froze for a moment when he took in the sight that greeted him.  
  
She was hooked up to three different machines and she had an IV in her arm. One machine was making beeping noises while the other one sounded like a horse at a gallop. She was almost as white as the sheets, except for the dark circles underneath her eyes. She was sobbing so hard her breath was hitching in her throat and he could see her whole body shaking from where he stood. Daryl cursed himself for letting her leave on her own that morning. He knew she'd had a bad headache, but he'd been too out of it from the painkillers to drive her. He'd fucked up and she ended up paying the price.  
  
“Daryl!” Jarah could barely speak over her crying, but she held her arms out to him. Nat had to give him a little push in her direction, to shock him out of his frozen state. Once he'd gathered himself he quickly strode towards the bed and wrapped his arms around her tightly.  
  
“Sweetie, what happened?” Nat had gone over to the other side of the bed and was gently rubbing Jarah's back, careful not to disturb all the cables and electrodes that were attached to her body. Jarah pulled away from Daryl's chest but clutched his hand hard with both of hers when he sat down on the edge of the bed.  
  
“I don't know. My head hurt so much. The light is hurting my eyes. It just got worse and when I got to the cardiologist I felt so sick and I threw up and then I woke up here.” She started sobbing even harder, it took her a long time to get the words out. “Something is wrong with him, they're not telling me anything. They just say I have to wait for the doctor.”  
  
Both Daryl and Nat paled and swallowed hard at that, the thought of her losing her baby was just unimaginable. Nat took a deep breath and gave Jarah a gentle smile.  
  
“It's gonna be alright. Do you think it's preeclempsia, honey?”  
  
“I don't know. The doctor's supposed to be here soon. They did a ton of tests, hooked me up to these things. The nurse said the doctor is coming to see me as soon as the results are in.”  
  
“I'm so sorry.” Daryl looked absolutely miserable as he shook his head regretfully. “I should have gone with you.”  
  
“No baby, you're not even supposed to be here, you're hurt. You need to be in bed and rest. You torturing yourself to come with me wouldn't have changed anything. It probably would have happened anyway, I'm sure of it. Nothing you could have done, my love.” She pulled his face closer and kissed him gently, not caring if he would be embarrassed or not. There were more important things to worry about right now.  
  
“What's that noise?” Daryl asked pointing to the machine that sounded like the galloping horse.  
  
“That's Jamie's heartbeat, baby.” Jarah smiled a little, but Daryl's eyes widened in horror.  
  
“THAT's his heartbeat? That fast? Shit, that's not good, is it?”  
  
“The heart of a baby beats twice as fast as an adult one. It sounds normal, but I don't know. The nurse keeps checking it every then minutes. She hasn't smiled yet, that's gotta mean something is wrong. Nurses always smile when everything's okay.” Jarah sniffled, making Nat laugh a little.  
  
“Oh honey, maybe she's just having a bad day. Try to relax, hm? Crying makes the headache worse, you know that.” Nat looked up when the door opened and smiled. “Here comes the doc.”  
  
The doctor, a woman who looked to be in her 50s, came in, surrounded by three other people. Daryl didn't know whether they were nurses or doctors as well, he only knew that four people coming in to tell her what's going on, scared the crap out of him.  
  
“Hello, Mrs. Armstrong. I'm Dr. Kirkwood, your obstetrician during your stay with us, that is Dr. Hammond, our cardiologist and these are Dr. Gupta and Dr. Young, our doctors in training. We would like to talk to you about your test results and we would like to ask your visitors to leave for a moment while we talk.”  
  
“No.” Daryl stared hard at the doctor, daring her to try to make him leave again.  
  
“It's okay, doctor. Can they please stay? He's my partner and she is my best friend, they can hear whatever you have to say.” Jarah asked the doc to let them stay. She wasn't quite ready to let go of Daryl yet, either.  
  
“Okay, that's your choice. Well, as you know we performed a blood and urine test, an ultrasound of your baby and a heart scan on you. The good news is that there were no signs of protein in your urine, so you are not suffering from preeclempsia. Your heart scan also showed that your heart hasn't suffered any damage from the high blood pressure. Overall the results from your blood test show that you are in good health, BUT as you are obviously aware of, we are monitoring your heartbeat, as well as your baby's and that machine takes your blood pressure every 15 minutes and unfortunately those results are not that good. Both your hearts are beating way too fast and your blood pressure is soaring right now. We are going to give you Methyldopa twice daily to bring your blood pressure down, you might have to continue taking it for the rest of your pregnancy, but don't worry, it won't harm your baby. Since we can't find a physical cause for your rapid heartbeat, we have to assume that it is caused by stress.” The doctor cleared her throat and paused for a moment, her gaze flicking towards Daryl for a moment before she looked back at Jarah. “I don't mean to be indiscreet, but of course I do know your ex-husband and I know what happened here yesterday. I think that might have been the cause for what happened to you today. You are in distress and because of that your baby is in distress. His heart is beating faster because yours is, too. He is merely reacting to you. So what we need to do here is to get you to calm down. You need to take a breather and relax, shut everything negative out for a little while until you feel better. Turn off your phone, don't watch the news, don't do anything that might upset you. Just take a couple of days and do things that are fun and relax you. Once you calm down, your heartbeat will slow on its own and your son will respond to it and everything will be alright. No bad news for a while, that's all you'll need.”  
  
Daryl and Nat looked at each other nervously, while Jarah smiled and thanked the doctor.  
  
“So we'll be alright? I can go home?”  
  
“No, we will keep you here for observation for one or two days so we can monitor your blood pressure and see how you respond to the meds.”  
  
“And how is she supposed to relax if her ex can just walk in here whenever he wants to?” Daryl scoffed. He couldn't believe that he couldn't take her home with him today.  
  
“We know it's a delicate situation, but we have something we call a 'red list'. We have a lot of mothers here who have trouble with their partners and ex-partners. We have the mothers tell us who they want and do not want to see. Everybody who is not allowed in, has their names put on that red list and our nurses are under orders to prevent those people entering the patients rooms under all circumstances. It doesn't matter if he works here or not. If he's on that list, he is not allowed in. You won't have anything to worry about.”  
  
“That's why the nurse asked for our names earlier, Daryl.” Nat explained to him.  
  
“She'd still be able to relax better at home.” he grumbled, but the doctor wasn't fazed by his bad mood.  
  
“I agree, but first we have to see how the drugs will work. It's easier this way than having her come in to take her blood twice daily. I will see you again tomorrow and if there is anything you need just buzz the nurse, they will be happy to help out.” The doctors left for their next patient and Daryl sighed.  
  
“I'm staying with you!”  
  
“You can't honey. I appreciate it and I'd love for you to be here, but you really can't. You are still in pain, you need to take your pills and stay in bed. And I am not alone in this room, that mommy-to-be over there needs her rest and privacy as well. You heard the doc, we'll be fine.” Jarah was starting to calm a little knowing that it was all she needed to do for her boy to be okay again. She hated that she had to stay, but there was nothing she could do about it.  
  
“I hate this.” Daryl muttered and Nat chuckled a little.  
  
“I can imagine, but it's just two days. You'll survive, even though the whole thing sucks. Sweetie, I'm gonna go and get you some stuff from home, alright? Anything in particular you want me to bring?”  
  
“My iPod, my phone charger, one of Daryl's shirts and my small purple pillow.”  
  
“You got it sweetie. I'll be back soon. Come on Daryl, say bye.” Nat smiled and urged Daryl to get up.  
  
“I'm not leaving!”  
  
“Please baby.” Jarah kissed him sweetly and sighed. “I just wanna try to sleep and you need your pills as well. We can talk on the phone later or we can text. It's gonna be alright. We both gotta be good here, okay? And Merle will be over soon, too. I'm sure he'll distract you and keep you from getting bored.”  
  
He didn't like it. Hell, he hated it, but she was right. His side was starting to hurt something awful and sleeping in a chair wouldn't help him heal any faster.  
  
“Alright. Just call me when you wake up, okay? No matter what time it is.” he pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles before he tore himself away from her with a heavy heart.  
  
“It's all that fucker's fault!” Daryl was clenching his fists in anger once they were out in the hall.  
  
“Let's just get you home and there you can tell me what exactly happened yesterday.”  
  
They went towards the elevator and passed a woman who was leaning against the wall, moaning loudly in agony, while a nurse massaged her lower back.  
  
“Uh, looks like someone's about to have a baby. That's gonna be Jarah in a couple of weeks.” Nat exchanged a smile with the nurse, while Daryl paled. Yes, he'd watched a ton of videos, he knew it was painful, but somehow seeing and hearing that woman right in front of him was so much different than seeing it in a video. He didn't even know that woman, but he felt so bad for her that she was in pain and imagining Jarah in that position made him sick to his stomach right now.  
  
“You trying to scare me?” he muttered while he looked over his shoulder, taking a last look at the woman who was clearly in labor.  
  
“Why? Am I succeeding?” Nat grinned, she had noticed that Daryl's cheeks had lost some color.  
  
“You might...yeah.” he admitted quietly.  
  
“Well, then maybe you should reconsider being Jarah's birth coach, cause that right there? That's nothing. It only gets worse. Thought you were all prepared?”  
  
“Yeah, I thought so. But I guess it's different in real life than seeing it in a video.”  
  
“Well, hate to tell you, but you promised her you'd be there. You convinced her and now she is counting on you. You gotta man up here.”  
  
“I know that! And I will be there. Just forget about it, it's a fucked up week. We'll be fine.”  
  
##### ###### ##### ###### ###### ###### ######  
  
“I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna go back there and I'm gonna kill him.” Nat was furious. Daryl had just told her what had gone down with Jackson the previous day and had shown her the picture of the bruise on Jarah's shoulder. “I mean, how can he just get away with everything? It's not right!”  
  
She had tears in her eyes, partly because she was so freaking mad at the guy for manhandling her best friend like that and partly because she was just sad for her friend. Merle, who had arrived ten minutes earlier to get his promised leftovers had been stunned by the news of Jarah's hospital stay. He shared Daryl's thoughts. Jackson was to blame for this. Shorty and the baby weren't doing well because of that arrogant little prick. His mind was working a mile a minute and he just sat on the couch silently while Nat threw some stuff into Jarah's duffel bag.  
  
“It's just not right. He better not cross my path today, I don't know if I have enough strength to keep myself from killing him.” Nat kept ranting. “Asshole, why can't he just go away. Gosh, why? Why can't he just get out of our lives?”  
  
“He will. Nothing he can do. They agreed on custody and everything. He'll just have to accept that and move on.” Daryl tried to convince her that things would be okay, even though he really wasn't convinced himself.  
  
“I'll go back there now. You listen to her and lay down, too, alright? She needs you strong and healthy when she gets back. Maybe you should go away for a couple of days. My parents have a place near Lake Lanier, it's where they stay when they come up to visit me. I'm sure they wouldn't mind, you guys staying there for a weekend. I'll call them and ask.”  
  
“Might not be a bad idea. Thanks Nat. You gonna be okay to drive?”  
  
“Yeah, I'm good, don't worry about me. I'll let you know about the house. Talk to you later.” Nat grabbed the bag and was about to leave when Daryl called out after her.  
  
“Hey, probably goes without saying, but don't tell her about the job thing, alright?”  
  
“I know. I won't.”  
  
“What job thing? They not keeping ya on after all?” Merle spoke up when Nat had left.  
  
“No, I'm good, but Jar's gonna lose her job. Her boss is gonna give her a promotion, which she can't accept with the baby and all and that's a reason for him to let her go. He doesn't want to employ a mother who's gonna stay home when the kid is sick. Real bastard, just like her ex.”  
  
“Damn, she can't catch a break, huh? How's she gonna pay for all this?”  
  
“Got an idea for that, just don't know if that's what she wants.” Daryl rubbed his face. The painkillers were starting to kick in and they were making him sleepy.  
  
“You gonna move in here?” It didn't take much for Merle to put two and two together.  
  
“Would save us both a shitload of money. You got a job now, you can keep the apartment. You still got the job, right? Or they already kick ya out on the first day?”  
  
“Nah, it's all good. Maybe I should move in, too. Take the guest room with Lil Bit, split rent by four.” he grinned and Daryl scoffed.  
  
“Yeah right, in your dreams, Merle.”  
  
“Why not. Three of us bring in the cash and Shorty stays home with the kid and takes care of us. Would work out fine.”  
  
“Yeah and after four weeks we'd all kill each other. Thanks, we'll be fine on our own.”  
  
“IF she let's ya move in.” Merle reminded him.  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Why don't you just marry that girl already? Would solve a lot of problems.”  
  
“She doesn't want that. Not right now.” Daryl grumbled, remembering that particular conversation all too well, even though it had had a nice outcome.  
  
“Uuuhh she shot ya down. That's gotta sting.” Merle winced, feeling a little sorry for his brother.  
  
“Nah, wasn't like that. Just forget it. I'm gonna lay down. Your food's in the fridge.”  
  
“That's okay. You eat that. I'll get something from the burger joint. You just rest up baby brother. I'll see ya tomorrow.”  
  
Daryl nodded his goodbye and went to the kitchen to microwave the leftovers before he laid down to take a nap. He realized he could have just gone with Merle instead of staying in the house alone, but at least here she was still around without even being there and he could sleep on her pillow to have her scent close to him.  
  
##### ####### ##### ###### ###### #####  
  
“I miss you.” she murmured while they were on the phone that evening.  
  
“Miss ya, too. This sucks.” he was sighing deeply.  
  
“This really wasn't how I thought the week would go. I was so looking forward to taking care of you and nursing you back to health.”  
  
“Oh yeah? Got one of those little nurse costumes?” he grinned when that image popped up in his head.  
  
“Maybe I do... But I don't think it's maternity style. I'd just make the zipper burst and the buttons pop open, my fat belly all over the place.” she laughed when she imagined what that would look like.  
  
“Don't say that. Nothing fat about that belly. You're beautiful.”  
  
“So are you. I love you so much.” he smiled, her voice got so quiet when she said it, he could practically hear her blush.  
  
“Love ya, too. What are you wearing?” he used the cheesy question to make her laugh. He hoped if he would be able to get her to be happy and relaxed she might come home sooner.  
  
“Uh this sexy white hospital gown, wide open at the back.” She giggled quietly, glad that her roommate was already sleeping and snoring lightly, so she could have her phone time with Daryl without having her eavesdrop.  
  
“Sounds nice. Got any heels to go with that?”  
  
“Oh so you like heels?” She wasn't sure if he was kidding or not and her curiosity was piqued.  
  
“If you're the one wearing 'em, yeah. Got any? Haven't seen any around.”  
  
“I do. A lot actually. They are way at the back of my closet right now. I didn't use to wear them that often, but I love them nonetheless.”  
  
“Gonna have ya show me when you get home.” Daryl's voice got a little lower and he felt a familiar pull in his abdomen when he imagined her wearing heels for him in bed, she had a killer pair of legs, he was sure she'd look fucking amazing in them. Suddenly a noise on her end of the phone caught his attention and he let out a laugh when he realized what it was.  
  
“You heart rate just pick up?” he was grinning like a fool.  
  
“Shut up! It's all your fault for making your voice do that thing. You know you are not supposed to do that while I'm in here.” She laughed and was tempted to turn the stupid machine off.  
  
“We were told to keep you relaxed.”  
  
“Yeah, but making my heart race again is not keeping me relaxed, mister.”  
  
“There's a difference between good heart race and bad heart race. I'm doing the good one. It's good for you. You're supposed to do fun stuff.”  
  
“But this? Are you sure? Guess I better ask her tomorrow if sex is allowed.” Jarah was concerned that the doctor meant that her heart wasn't supposed to beat faster at all and that sex was out until she gave birth.  
  
“I think it is. She didn't say anything about bedrest or anything. She said your in good health, you just need to chill out and not be stressed. Fucking me stressin' ya out?”  
  
“Guess not, but I'll still ask. God that would suck if she said I wasn't allowed.”  
  
“Yeah, that'd suck ass. Got plans for ya when we get to that lake house.” he grinned, intentionally making his voice go even lower, getting a kick out of hearing her breathing change.  
  
“Daryl!!!” she admonished him, making him laugh.  
  
“Relax, I'll stop. For now. Won't stop for a long time when we get to that lake house.”  
  
“Daryl!!! Man, you're killing me here!” she complained with a laugh, but she had to admit she was feeling much better. He was successfully distracting her and keeping her mind off of worrying too much.  
  
“You'll survive.” he heard her yawn and smiled. “You should sleep. I'll come see you tomorrow morning. I'll bring you one of those things from Dunkin Donuts you like.”  
  
“Eclairs? That would be awesome. You are my hero.”  
  
“Sleep tight, okay?”  
  
“You too.” she made kissy noises and he scoffed out a laugh.  
  
“Not doing that shit!”  
  
“Didn't expect you to, baby. Bye bye.”  
  
“Bye sweetheart.”  
  
###### ####### ##### ###### ####### ###### #######


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter mentions self-harm. Don't read if it triggers you.

  
_“I hurt myself today_  
 _To see if I still feel_  
 _I focus on the pain_  
 _The only thing that's real_  
 _The needle tears a hole_  
 _The old familiar sting_  
 _Try to kill it all away_  
 _But I remember everything”_  
  
A tear rolled down Jarah's cheek when Johnny Cash's “Hurt” started playing on the radio on their drive to Lake Lanier on Friday night. She had always preferred the original version by Nine Inch Nails, had listened to it over and over when she had still been a kid, but Johnny's cover version was the one, that always made her cry. She wasn't sure if it was his voice or the guitar or something else, whatever it was, it always got the tears started within seconds, even before she'd been pregnant.  
  
“You okay, sweetheart?” Daryl knew Jarah was easily touched by music, it wasn't new that he caught her crying while she listened to her iPod or whenever she had the radio on, but somehow this seemed different, like a thick blanket of sadness was covering her all of a sudden.  
  
“Yeah, the song just brings up a lot of memories, you know?” She wiped the tears away that had started to fall, but it wasn't much use, fresh ones soon followed. He nodded and turned his gaze back on the road. She was silent for a moment before she decided to share something with him. “I used to cut myself. When I was 12 or 13, I can't remember the exact year. Maybe cut is the wrong word. Didn't use a razor. My mother is a nurse in a nursing home, too. Funny, I never wanted to be like her, yet we have the same job. Anyway, when I was younger she was like a mobile nurse, she drove around from house to house. Taking care of the elderly, so she had all this medical stuff in her car. I swiped some hypodermic needles from her kit and used to scratch myself with them. Thought it would be smart to just make these thin lines instead of big cuts, so they wouldn't notice. They did anyway. Yelled at me for it once and after that they only shook their heads in disappointment whenever I had new scratches.”  
  
Daryl, of course, had noticed the dozens of very fine and thin scars that covered both her forearms. It had taken him a while to realize she had them. They were barely visible, nobody who wouldn't take the time to look at her arms closely would be able to detect them. He had wondered how she'd gotten them, but he'd never asked. Just how she never asked about his scars. They both knew they would tell each other when they were ready, like she did now. Even though it might have been obvious to others, self-harm hadn't been one of his assumptions of how she'd gotten hers. It was something he wasn't quite able to understand. He hated his scars, would do anything to get rid of them, he didn't understand why people would inflict this on themselves.  
  
“Anyway, that was right when this song came out. It was so fitting, it was all I listened to for a long time. So yeah, lots of memories.” She sniffled as she dug through her handbag for a tissue to blow her nose.  
  
“Why'd you do it?”  
  
“I'm not sure. I just had this urge to do it. I can't even explain. It was a bad time for me. It seemed like everything happened at once. We moved from an apartment into a house, big garden and huge lawn, we got a dog, my parents took me out of my old school to send me to a bilingual one.” he shot her a puzzled look and she laughed. “Yeah, don't ask. My parents had big plans for me, wanted me to be fluent in like 20 languages, thought it would give me a great career or something, I don't know. It was hell. So I was 13 years old, yes I remember now, it was 1996. My parents both worked full-time. Wanna know how my weekdays went after we moved into that house and got that dog? I got up at 4.30 am and the first thing I did was walk the dog, then I got ready for school. My dad was already gone, he left around 4 am every morning, but my mom got up around 6 am and just went to get her coffee from the kitchen and took it to the bathroom with her, not even acknowledging me. Thank God for that. I left for school around 6.30, it was quite far so to get there on time I had to leave that early. After school I went home, walked the dog again, then went grocery shopping. Every other day I'd stop by my great grandma's spend an hour with her. It was always so peaceful and quiet there. Then I went home and cooked a late lunch for me and my mother. If there wasn't anything else to be done, I did my homework after that, but if the lawn had to be mowed or the garden needed tending, I had to do that first. If strawberries were in season I was expected to pick those AND then get inside and make a pie for my Dad. Then the dog needed walking again and then I had to eat dinner by myself real quick before my Dad got home from work. He would call like half an hour before he got home, so everything would be ready for the king's arrival. I wasn't allowed to eat dinner with my parents. Why, I still don't know. Add to all that the constant badgering from my Dad as soon as he was home and the beatings from my mother and I guess you could say that I was just a really stressed-out 13 year old and maybe I just needed to feel something else other than this pressure they put on me and all this fear I had inside of me.”  
  
“You were their fucking slave.” Daryl scoffed and shook his head regretfully. He couldn't wait to meet her Dad. She had assured him that he would show up as soon as the boy was born. One wrong fucking word and Daryl wouldn't hesitate to give him a piece of his mind.  
  
“I guess I was. And then to top it all off, my great grandma got Alzheimer’s and died that year. She was my only escape all those years. She got ripped away from me so suddenly... I still can't wrap my mind around it. It's still hard to talk about it without turning into a sobbing mess. She faded so fast and nobody warned me. My mother knew, she worked with Alzheimer patients, she knew about the disease..., but she didn't warn me. Nobody did. I wish they would have. I wouldn't have gone to see her had I known.”  
  
“Known what?”  
  
“They put her in a nursing home in November that year. I didn't understand why that was necessary. I had seen her the week before and she seemed fine, but then again, nobody talked to me, the decision was made and she was moved into the home where my mother's cousin, my great grandma's own granddaughter, was like the head nurse. She was in charge in that home. I assumed my nana was in good hands. I forgot how cold-blooded Kirsten was, just like my mother. She just left nana to rot in her room. I heard stories in the following weeks of how my nana had changed. They said she was mean, yelled, refused to leave the room. That wasn't her, I thought and decided to have my grandma take me there to see her. It had been like three weeks since I had last seen her at her apartment, I was so excited to see her.” Jarah started sobbing and had to take a moment before she was able to go on. “They didn't warn me, Daryl. They knew and didn't say anything. I went into her room and went to hug her and she just pushed me away with all her strength and she looked at me and said 'Who are you?'. In that moment I just had the rug pulled out from under me. That was the only person I loved in the entire world and she didn't remember me. I was fucking 13 years old, I didn't understand what was happening. Nobody bothered to explain it to me before I went in there. They knew. They fucking knew and they just let me walk in there all excited and unprepared. It destroyed me. I just kept thinking, how in the world could she forget who I was? I was her only great grandchild. Up until age 10 I went to her place after school three days a week until my mother picked me up. I spent so much time with her, how could she forget about that?”  
  
“That family of yours fucking sucks.” Daryl felt for her. He knew what it had felt like to lose his mother, even though she hadn't been mother of the year, he had still loved her deep down and then she was gone from one moment to the next, with nothing left to even bury. He tried to imagine what it would be like if Jarah suddenly wouldn't know who he was anymore and he couldn't even fully go there, the idea already hurt way too much, so he could imagine what that must have been like for a teenager.  
  
“Yeah, they do. I spent so much time with her Daryl and you know what? I can't remember any of it. I can't remember a single conversation I ever had with her. Not one word. I can't even remember her saying hello to me or something. I still remember the lighting in the stairwell of her building. How it changed from floor to floor. I remember the smells. I remember every single wooden step and the way it creaked when I stepped on them. I remember the sound the apartment door used to make when I opened it. It always got stuck on the carpet. I remember seeing her sitting at the window of her living room overlooking the street. She was always reading some kind of book or magazine which she would look up from when I came in. She always had the same look on her face, she would always crinkle her nose and squint, she had such bad eyes. I remember every little thing about her apartment, everything. But I can't remember any interaction with her at all. Nothing except the very last one, when she didn't know who I was. It's like that experience is overpowering everything else, everything good I remember. It's like it's a lock that's keeping the good memories away and I blame my family for that. Had I known how bad it was, I wouldn't have gone to see her. She would have died and I would have had all the good memories instead of that horrible moment.”  
  
“I know it's hard, but just remember that she didn't do it on purpose.” Daryl tried to console her a little, although he knew it was too little too late.  
  
“I know that Daryl. Especially since I've worked with Alzheimer patients myself now, I know she didn't do it on purpose, I am not mad at her. I am mad at my family for not preparing me for that moment. That fucking moment just overshadows everything else and I am powerless. It's been almost 16 years Daryl and I still can't remember and it kills me, every single time I think about her.” She was crying desperately and pointed to her head. “It's all in here, I know it is, but I can't access it and it's driving me crazy.”  
  
Daryl didn't know what to say to that. His heart broke for her, but like she said, it's been 16 years and there was nothing they could do about it. Unfortunately he had no idea on how to bring back the good memories for her.  
  
They finished the drive in silence, but Daryl kept his arm around her and stroked his fingertips along her upper arm gently to calm her down. They shouldn't have talked about this, she wasn't supposed to get upset, but he would be the last person on earth to shut her down if she wanted to open up. He figured that once the memories had started when that song had played on the radio, she just had to let it out to not be completely overwhelmed by them.  
  
“Thank you, for listening to my rambling.” She murmured against his neck before she kissed it gently when he stopped the car in front of the lake house about half an hour later.  
  
“Nothing to thank me for. Feel better?”  
  
“Yeah, I do. Now like the doc said, forget all about the negativity and let's get this little vacay started.” she smiled and placed a big kiss on his lips before she awkwardly hopped out of the truck and went around it to get their bags from the truck bed.  
  
“And what the fuck do you think you're doing?” Daryl looked at her half-amused when he'd gotten out to do the exact same thing she was about to do.  
  
“I don't want you to strain your injury, you just started feeling better.” she explained, lifting her duffel bag off the truck bed. Daryl was by her side within a second and tried to grab the bag out of her hands.  
  
“Are you fucking crazy? You're not supposed to lift anything, you know that! I've been back to work for two days already, I feel fine. Don't you worry about my freaking injury. Let go.”  
  
He tugged at the handle he was holding, but she wouldn't budge and held on to the other handle.  
  
“No, I can do this. It's not like there's bricks in here.”  
  
“Let go!”  
  
“No!”  
  
“Jar, let go!” he tugged harder, making her grab her handle with both hands now.  
  
“No! Not letting you do all the heavy lifting!”  
  
“Jarah, I swear, if you don't let go... Let go! Let go damnit!” They were tugging at the damn bag like two dogs, until Jarah burst out laughing. The whole thing was ridiculous, if he wanted the bags, fine let him handle the bags, she thought and handed it over.  
  
“We're idiots. What are we gonna do, carry it in together? Shared baggage is half the baggage for each of us? Here, for God's sakes, take it. Am I allowed to carry my handbag?”  
  
“Yeah, that's okay.” He smirked and put his hand on her cheek to pull her in for a quick kiss. “Get in the house woman. Rest up, drink some water, you'll need your energy later.”  
  
That did sound good to her ears. It's been too damn long. Between his hunting trip and injury and her hospital stay it had been a whole damn week since they've been intimate. They seriously needed this weekend to recharge and also to reconnect, especially physically, so she did was she was told and went up to the house.  
  
##### ###### ####### ##### ###### ##### ####### #######  
  
“You guys never told us that Nat's folks were fucking loaded. Why didn't you tell me how awesome this house is?” Daryl was stunned by the place that was owned by Nat's parents. It was really high-end, even had a small indoor pool and a freaking whirlpool. He had never ever been to a place this nice, it was a little intimidating, but he was also pretty excited. This weekend would be just what they needed.  
  
“I wanted it to be a surprise. It's great, isn't it? And since I am like their third daughter to them, as they always say, we can use this whenever we want to get away for a couple of days.” Jarah smiled and stood back and watched him take everything in. She loved the way he looked right now, a lot of surprise and a hint of wonder in his expression.  
  
Jarah loved Nat's parents and they loved her like she was their own. Whenever all of them spent time together, they always treated her exactly the same as Nat and her younger sister Denise, who they called Deni for short. Jarah was always sad when they had to leave again, wishing they would live in Atlanta and could be around more. They had helped her out a great deal when she moved in with Nat after rehab. They were so loving and generous and never expected anything in return. Jarah had been uncomfortable at first as she hadn't been used to people being this nice to her, but after a couple of weeks she realized that there was no ulterior motive behind their actions and had embraced them as her substitute parents. Whenever Nat talked to them they would always ask about Jarah and her baby to make sure they were okay. So much different from her own father.  
  
“It's amazing. Makes me kinda regret that we're only here for two days.”  
  
“We can come back. Maybe even before Jamie's born.” Jarah had called Nat's mom to thank her for allowing them to stay for the weekend and Edith Wooderson had told her that they were welcome to use the house whenever they wanted to.  
  
“Yeah, maybe we can make it work. Or we wait til he's here,... he can swim with us in the pool. Babies are allowed to swim right?” he wasn't sure, but he thought he'd read about baby swimming classes somewhere.  
  
“Yes, it's even really good for them and most babies love the water. I think as soon as they're like six to eight weeks old we can take him in there. Might need to get one of those boards they can float on first.”  
  
“We'll look out for it.” He walked back over to her and slid his hands along the curve of her belly and down to her hips to pull her closer. His soft lips skimmed over her neck and up to her ear, teasing along the outer shell, while she gripped his arms to have something to hold on to. He was barely doing anything and already all her muscles started clenching just from feeling his lips and hot breath against her ear.  
  
“Imma take care of dinner now and after that, Imma take care of you.” his voice sent shivers down her spine and she had to bite her lip to keep herself from moaning.  
  
“Sounds good.” She turned her head to catch his lips with hers, but he pulled away a little and grinned slightly when she followed. He leaned in again, but just before she could touch her mouth to his, he pulled away again and made her chase his lips. He chuckled, when she pulled away with a grumble.  
  
“Pussy tease!”  
  
“Guess I am, I just like getting you all worked up. Makes it even better. Come on now. You can watch me cook for once.” He took her hand in his and pulled her into the kitchen.  
  
“I'd rather watch you do something else...” she sighed under her breath, but once they were in the kitchen she remembered the meaning of his words and she was surprised.  
  
“Wait, you're really gonna cook? You know how to cook? I thought you were gonna pick up the phone and order something.”  
  
“Hell yeah, I can cook. Not much, but some stuff. What? Scared that you're not gonna like it?”  
  
“No, not at all, I am just surprised.”  
  
“Well, don't see why you gotta cook for me all the damn time. I can make ya something, too. Especially this weekend. Fun stuff only for you.” he muttered as he looked through the drawers for a knife.  
  
“But cooking is fun for me. I love doing it. Especially for you.”  
  
“And I like doing things for you, so just let me do this alright? Man, where are the fucking knifes in this place?” he threw his hands up in exasperation, he had checked every drawer now.  
  
“Try the knife block right in front of you.” Jarah had to suppress a grin when he shot her an annoyed look, but followed it up with a wink, making her giggle.  
  
“So what are you making?” he had picked up groceries from the store after work before he came to pick her up, so she had no idea what he'd gotten them for the weekend. He'd planned the whole thing himself.  
  
“You'll see.” He dug through the bags he'd brought in earlier and got out a couple of tomatoes and started slicing and dicing them, while Jarah watched him curiously. She had to admit it was kind of nice to have him cook something for a change. She'd been in charge of her own meals for a long long time. In the past she'd had Nat or her family cook something for her sometimes, but she certainly never had a man make her something. This was completely new to see a man working in the kitchen, but she really enjoyed watching his hand at work. Now she understood why he spend so much time watching her.  
  
He had turned out to make spaghetti, simple but she loved it. He made a wicked good tomato sauce. Daryl was insanely proud and happy that she'd liked it and had gladly agreed when she had made him promise to always make the sauce from now on whenever they were going to have pasta.  
  
When she got up to help him clear the table he took the plates out of her hands and set them back down. He pulled something out of his pant pocket and pushed it into her right hand. She looked down and shivered in anticipation when she saw that it was the oil that he used to rub her belly with. Among other things.  
  
“I'll be in the bedroom in 5 and I better find you naked on the bed waiting for me.”  
  
“Yes sir.” she released a shaky breath and went to the bedroom as fast as her legs would carry her these days. Once there she swiftly ripped her clothes off and left them laying around on the floor while she got on the bed. She always got a kick out of watching Daryl stop in his tracks for a second, while he fought the urge to gather the clothes and put them aside for later. He was surprisingly neat, while she could be a bit of a slob sometimes and she loved watching him pick up her stuff all the while muttering about how she could break her neck while tripping over her mess.  
  
And when he came in and stopped in front of her pile of clothes on the floor she giggled, when she saw his eyes narrow, but his lips held a smirk. He kicked the clothes out of the danger zone and towards the closet before going over there himself.  
  
“I know you're doing that on purpose, you know?” he toed off his boots and took off his socks while he said it, before bending down and putting them under the chair next to the closet. He shed his sleeveless flannel he always wore at work and his jeans that were torn at the knee now and put them on the chair, then he finally advanced towards the bed in only his black boxer briefs, that beautifully displayed the outline of his gorgeous cock.  
  
Jarah couldn't help herself, her hand reached out on its own volition to take a hold of him through the thin fabric, but Daryl stopped her by gently grasping her wrist before she was able to make contact.  
  
“Easy, we got all night. Patience really isn't your strong suit, is it?” He smiled when he knelt on the bed in front of her.  
  
“I miss you. It's been too long.” she pouted. Daryl cradled her face in his warm hands and leaned in, his tongue teasing along her lips and she moaned when she let hers meet it. He pulled away almost immediately smirking when she groaned in frustration.  
  
“Now that's just pure evil.”  
  
“Nah, just what you get for leaving your clothes on the floor.” He kissed her cheek and then moved around her to sit with his back against the headboard. “C'mere.”  
  
“How do you want me?”  
  
“Scoot back, your back against me.” She did as she was told and leaned back against his chest. “Arms up.” he commanded her while he reached for the bottle of oil. “And you don't put 'em down until I tell you to.”  
  
'Damn, he is so fucking hot when he gets bossy.' she thought when she obliged and fought the urge to squirm and rub herself against the mattress. He made her feel like a cat in heat at times, but she accepted it, she was powerless against the effects he had on her.  
  
He held the bottle above her sternum and she hissed when the cold oil hit her heated skin and ran down over her swollen belly. Daryl put the bottle aside and put his hands on her so the oil wouldn't be wasted by dripping on the bed. He started out by giving her a gentle belly rub, like he'd done so many countless times now and it never failed to relax her. She felt like a wet and limp spaghetti after a while, just the way he wanted her. He found that her body responded even more to other things, after he'd made her relax every muscle in her body first.  
  
His hands left her belly briefly to pull her hair away from her ear and neck. Once he had a clear path the tip of his tongue traced it along from her shoulder and over her neck all the way up to her ear. He grabbed the bottle of oil once more, squirting some into his palm before rubbing his hands together.  
  
He cupped her breasts, squeezing gently, a grin forming on his lips when her body shuddered.  
  
“How sensitive are they today?” she heard his low whisper in her ear a moment later.  
  
“Extremely. You gotta be real careful today.” she whispered back.  
  
“'Kay.” he kissed her cheek and smiled. His well-lubricated thumbs slid over her nipples gently, using just the slightest bit of pressure and it was enough to make her hiss and make her skin break out into goosebumps all over. “Just like that?”  
  
“Yeah, just like that.” she moaned deeply, when she felt his teeth digging into the shell of her ear, his scruff scratching her neck in the process, while his thumbs just gently circled her nipples. He was a little sad that she had removed her piercing when she'd come back from the hospital. Apparently it had started to feel a bit uncomfortable and when she'd tried to put it back in the next day it had hurt too much, so she decided to just keep it out until after Jamie's birth and until she had decided what to do about nursing.  
  
“Arms up, or I'll stop.” He ordered, when she had brought her hands down to dig her fingernails into his thighs when he'd started carefully rolling her nipples between two fingers.  
  
“Sorry.” she breathed and wrapped her arms back around his neck while he grinned against her ear.  
  
“Good girl. What's that squirmin' all about? Want somethin'?”  
  
“You know what I want.” she moaned and tried to grind her ass back into his crotch.  
  
“Maybe. But you know I wanna hear you say it.” he removed his right hand from her breast and delved into his underwear, pulling out his erect member.  
  
“Oh fuck.” Jarah pushed back against him when she felt the hot and soft skin of his tip slide against her back. “I want that inside of me, baby.”  
  
He repositioned them slightly, so he was reclining against the pillow more. Jarah got the hint and pushed up on her feet and lifted her hips and when she felt the head at her opening, she sank down on his length with a blissful sigh and they both moved their hips at a gentle rhythm. He pulled her back to rest against him again, his face now level with her left tit. He squeezed it gently with his left hand and licked along the side of it while his other hand slid down around her belly and between her legs, positioning his middle finger right atop her clit, letting herself rub against it with ever gyration of her hips.  
  
They moved at an unhurried, slow pace and the room was filled with the sounds of their deep, heavy breathing and gentle moans and groans while they enjoyed finally being close like this again. They had missed each other so much when he'd been gone for the weekend and then she had to stay in the hospital for two whole days.  
  
“I love you, Jar.” he whispered against her soft skin. His words made tears pool in her eyes, her crazy hormones were making her an extra bit weepy again. She was glad he couldn't see it, he always worried and she didn't want to stop doing what they were doing. It felt too damn good.  
  
“I love you, too Daryl.” She moaned quietly and suddenly stopped what she was doing after all. She felt the urge to do something else instead. She raised her hips and let him slip out.  
  
“Babe? Where are you going?” Daryl was puzzled when she moved away from him. “Not comfortable for you? You're legs hurt?”  
  
She smiled and pushed him back down with a gentle hand against his chest when he went to sit up.  
  
“Relax, baby, I'm not going anywhere. I just want to enjoy having you here for a little bit.” She wanted to worship every inch of his body. He always made sure that she was feeling good and relaxed, never caring about himself and she felt that he always gave more than he took, he was so insistent on giving her everything she wanted and needed, that she sometimes felt bad about not giving him the attention he deserved, although Daryl always told her that he didn't see it like that and that he got pleasure from giving her pleasure.  
  
She kneeled between his legs and started by placing gentle kisses on his forehead and his temples and moved down to his cheeks and his jaw and slowly proceeded to kiss every bit of skin she could reach, his neck, his shoulders, his arms and hands, she even kissed every single fingertip and the tattoos on his hand and wrist, while her hands roamed the rest of his body.  
  
Daryl watched her with a peaceful little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He usually had a hard time just laying back and do nothing but enjoy, but sometimes he really loved having her pamper him and shower him with attention this way. She made him feel loved and appreciated every single day in their everyday life, but it was at times like these that she was showing him that she loved and accepted all of him, with all the scars and imperfections he was so insecure about.  
  
He groaned when her cheek finally brushed along his softened cock when she nuzzled his pubic hair, making his member quickly harden again. Every time she took her mouth down to that area he reacted like a teenager that was looking at his first pair of boobies.  
  
His fingers buried themselves in her hair, being mindful of not grabbing too hard, knowing that it triggered her, when she let the tip slip past her lips, gently sucking and swirling her tongue along his hardening flesh. Her hand encircled the bottom half of his shaft to pump him, while her head started bobbing rhythmically.  
  
“Jesus fucking Christ, girl.” he groaned when she felt her other hand cup his balls to roll them gently in her palm. “Not gonna be long.”  
  
She responded by sucking harder and Daryl swiftly removed his hands from her head to grip the sheets instead when the sensations started to overwhelm his senses. She sped up her ministrations when she heard his breathing change to rapid, shallow puffs, earning a deep and long drawn-out growl from her wolf when she sent him racing towards the point of no return at light speed.  
  
“Now.” he warned her, but she kept going.  
  
“Jar...” he panted, thinking she hadn't heard him the first time. She hummed around his dick, acknowledging that she'd understood, but this time she didn't pull away, she went harder and faster one last time. That and the realization of what was about to happen was all Daryl needed. He pulled hard at the sheets when an intense climax ripped through his body and his seed spurted into her sweet, hot mouth.  
  
“Damn, girl. You good?” he sat up as soon as he had gathered his bearings again. He cradled her face in his hands and searched her face for any sign of distress, but he only found her smiling.  
  
“I'm better than good. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing.” She kissed his cheek and pushed him back against the pillow and straddled him. She gently rubbed his chest and shoulders while he caught his breath and she had to keep from giggling when she noticed how his eyes practically glowing, the blue irises more pronounced than ever and she could see that he had to keep himself from grinning.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Nothing.” he chuckled. “Just never thought you'd do that. Surprised me.”  
  
“I told you, as long as I am able to decide, I am good.”  
  
“Never did it before.” he didn't mean it as a reproach, he was really just very surprised.  
  
“Well, it does take a bit of working up to it.” She smirked and couldn't get over how happy he looked. “You liked that, huh?”  
  
“Yeah.” he grew a bit shy and watched his fingers trail patterns over her belly. “Not just 'cause it was fucking hot,... after everything... you doing that for me, because you wanted to... don't know how to explain it. Means kind of a lot.”  
  
“I know.” She kissed his lips and then rested her cheek against his chest for a moment until the position became to uncomfortable. “I think I wanna take a shower. Wanna join me?”  
  
“Nah, I got a better idea.” he grinned.  
  
“Really? And what would that be?”  
  
“You take your shower if you want, but don't bother drying off afterward. Meet me in the whirlpool when you're done.” He had an idea. He'd seen it in a movie once and was curious if it would really work.  
  
“Okay, guess I'll skip the shower then and get us some water instead. You gonna go get the whirlpool ready?”  
  
“Yeah, not too hot right? Same as with the bathtub?” She'd told him once that pregnant women shouldn't take baths that were too hot because it would be dangerous for the baby if the mothers temperature would rise over 102 degrees, after he had drawn her a bath that had been too hot to get into for her.  
  
“That's right. You okay with water or want something else?”  
  
“Water's fine.” he kissed her gently and then he put himself back in his briefs while Jarah got off the bed and grabbed his flannel from the chair to slip into during her trip to the kitchen to get their water and he went to get the pool ready and check some stuff out before she would join him in there.  
  
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Meanwhile in Atlanta...  
  
Merle jumped and almost dropped the phone in his hands when it started vibrating. He'd been so busy faking that he was writing a text message all the while frequently throwing glances at the house he was watching, that he'd forgotten that the phone actually worked.  
  
“Aw hell, not right now, sweet cheeks.” he cursed under his breath when he checked the caller ID on the screen and saw that it said Lil Bit. He accepted the call anyway and tried to sound as usual.  
  
“Hey there Lil Bit. Miss me already?”  
  
“Kinda.” she laughed. “With Jarah and Daryl gone for the weekend and me finally having the day off tomorrow, I thought we could head to the bar or something. Wanna swing by and pick me up?”  
  
“Uhm, sure, Lil Bit. Why not, just gotta take care of something first.”  
  
“Now?” he could practically hear her frown. “It's 10 at night. Where are you?”  
  
“Just getting some errands done, Sugar. Now that I joined the workforce I can't get everything done during the day anymore. Don't you worry that pretty head of yours. I won't be long. You just get ready and wait for me.” He just hung up when he saw a dark shadowy figure emerge from the house he'd been watching and quickly turned around and walked back to his bike that he'd parked a few blocks down. He drove to the nearby convenience store and parked his bike in their parking lot, just before a black SUV pulled into the spot right next to him.  
  
“It's done.” The driver mumbled when he got out, not making eye contact with Merle, who pretended to be busy with the bags on his bike. He inconspicuously slipped a bag of crystal meth into the driver's hands and nodded almost imperceptibly while the driver slipped the baggie into his pocket and walked towards the store.  
  
“Merry early Christmas, Shorty.” Merle muttered to himself before he walked into the store himself and bought a six-pack of beer to keep up appearances.  
  
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	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22  
  
“Damn Lil Bit, you're dressed to kill. Thought we were just going to the bar? You got different plans? Not that I'd mind...” Merle tried his best not to stare too hard at her bare thighs. That little black dress that Nat was wearing was so short, it might have been illegal.  
  
“I've been wearing scrubs for 10 hours a day in the past two weeks, I need to feel pretty again.” Nat smiled while she ushered him into her apartment.  
  
“Pretty's not what I would call it. Damn Lil Bit, The guys are gonna lift the tables without usin' their hands when you walk in there dressed like this.” Merle had a hard time keeping his composure himself. Sure he'd known she had a killer body, but seeing it barely dressed in that sexy little black thing was mouthwatering. She had some meat on her in all the right places and her flawless creamy skin was begging for him to mark her with his teeth.  
  
“What are you saying? You want me to change?”  
  
“Fuck no. You gonna be able to ride with me on the bike in that thing?”  
  
“No, we're gonna take a cab. We're gonna have a good time tonight, no worries about how many drinks we can have. I need to forget some stuff today.”  
  
“Yeah, you and me both, Lil Bit.” Merle muttered and rubbed the back of his head. He was nervous. There was no doubt in his mind that he'd done the right thing and he'd done the best he could to make sure it wouldn't be traced back to him or Shorty and his baby brother. Good thing they were out of town and probably good that Lil Bit had called when she had. Phone records would show that in case something would go wrong after all.  
  
“You okay?” Nat looked at him concerned. He seemed a little off today  
  
“Sure, fine and dandy. Wanna go?”  
  
“No, I just said, we gotta call a cab first. These heels were made for sitting and short trips to the bathroom only.” She laughed and pointed to her feet.  
  
He looked down and groaned. “Fuck Lil Bit, you're tryin' ta kill me tonight, aren't ya? I'm already about to throw ya over ma shoulder cave man-style. Next thing you tell me y'are naked under there.”  
  
“Not telling you that.” she said while she dialed the number for the cab company and brought the phone up to her ear. “But maybe you'll find out for yourself later.”  
  
She threw him a sexy little wink and Merle had to clench his fists in order to keep it together. She knew exactly how to rile him up, wasn't the first time she's done this, but tonight he wasn't his usually laid-back self, he had so much nervous energy inside of him he was ready to burst. He thought that's gotta be what Daryl felt like all the time judging by how much he fidgets and paces during the day. He just couldn't wait to get some alcohol in him to calm his nerves and forget some stuff as well.  
  
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Nat knew how to live it up. She and Jarah were quite different from one another in that department. It was one of the things where they just didn't see eye to eye. Jarah didn't like that part of Nat very much, but she had learned to accept it over the years, just like Nat had to accept that she wouldn't ever be able to drag Jarah out to the clubs at night. Nat had a party girl past, she had liked to get her drink on, she had loved her slutty outfits and even though she had calmed considerably after her stint in rehab where the two friends had met, Nat still liked to go back to those old days every once in a while.  
  
One and a half hours after they had arrived at the bar, Nat was pretty tipsy and wanted to have some fun and in her case that meant tequila body shots. She was sitting on the table in front a very happy Merle. He was right between her legs, with her heels-clad feet resting on either side of his thighs on the chair. He bent his head and licked the salt from her right thigh, picked up the shot glass from where it rested on the edge of the table between her legs, downed the liquid and bent his head to pick up the lime from her left thigh with his teeth, while the guys sat around them watching and hooting.  
  
They had been at this for a while and Merle had already licked the salt off her wrists, both sides of her neck and from her lips. This had been his sixth shot and Nat was already pouring the next one.  
  
“Alright and now like this!” she grinned and placed the shot glass between her breasts. “Lick the salt from my boob, drink and then you get the lime from my mouth.” she explained before popping the slice of lime between her lips. Merle was grinning like a fool when he bent and slowly licked a long line over the soft, firm skin of her right boob, before he put some salt on it. The guys were hollering and cheering when he licked the salt off and buried his face in her ample cleavage to wrap his lips around the shot glass and pull it out. He took his sweet time, enjoying having his face in that area way too much to be pulling away again after a second. Finally he threw his head back, downing the tequila before he slammed the glass on the table and leaned in. He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her towards him while he pressed his lips against hers, his tongue forcing her mouth open before entering to get the lime.  
  
Nat groaned when his tongue touched hers and they wrestled around with the piece of fruit for a moment until she let him have it and pulled away to catch her breath.  
  
“Damn Dixon, you got some skills.” she was panting a little, her eyes were glazed over and her cheeks flushed with excitement.  
  
“Been tellin' you that for two fucking months, Lil Bit. Dixons know what they're doin. Natural born lovers.” he grinned at her. He could officially say that now since his baby brother had caught up and seemed to be doing fine in that department. Jarah had told Nat and Nat had told Merle, making the elder Dixon a little proud of his little bro.  
  
“Yeah, maybe I should start listening... First things first, any of you fine fellas got a smoke to spare?” She looked to the side and behind her at the guys and chuckled when four hands held out a cigarette each. She took one from Frank Carter and send him a little wink before she slipped of the table to exit the bar. She needed some air as she had gotten a little dizzy. She didn't know if it was the alcohol, the thick smoke clouds inside the bar or Merle that were making her head spin, maybe it was a combination of all three.  
  
“What are you doing sitting here you idiot? Go with her!” Frank shook his head with an incredulous look on his face when Merle remained with his ass firmly planted on his chair and just watched after her with a silly drunk grin on his face.  
  
“Think I should?”  
  
“Hell yeah, jackass. This might be your only chance to score. Go numb nuts.” Dan pushed his shoulder to get him to move. Merle nodded and tossed back the rest of his beer while he got up. He slammed the bottle down on the bar in passing and went outside, looking around for Nat. He had to walk around to the back of the building to find her, a slow grin forming on his lips when he approached her.  
  
“Don't you know a pretty girl like you shouldn't walk around in dark alleys at night? Lotta big bad men roaming after dark.”  
  
“Maybe I was waiting for one of those big bad men to find me?” she let her cigarette fall to the ground and grabbed him by his shirt.  
  
There was no more time wasted, their lips smashed against each other, teeth clashed, tongues dueled and within seconds they were a mess of hot panting breaths and frantically grabbing hands. Merle squeezed her tits hard in his big hands before he moved them down to her ass, giving her butt cheeks a hard squeeze and a two-handed spank. Nat jumped and yelped, the sound muffled by his mouth as she reached behind her, dragging one of his hands away from her behind and pushed it up under her short dress. Merle pushed his fingers against her heated core, rubbing her through the thin fabric of her panties for a minute until his eager fingers slipped down further. He yanked her panties aside and pushed two fingers up into her tight and wet passage roughly, making the squirming woman in his arms scream in pleasure at the sudden intrusion.  
  
Nat held on to his shoulders and jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist, while Merle easily caught her with his free hand. Damn she was tiny, his hand was almost covering her whole ass. She leaned her back against the brick wall behind her and started riding his fingers hard and fast. Her head fell back to join her upper back and shoulders against the wall of the building and she moaned and screamed loudly while Merle finger-fucked her, she didn't give a damn about being heard by others. Merle, meanwhile caught the fabric of her dress between his teeth and ripped down the portion that covered her right breast. He almost came in his pants when he realized she wasn't wearing a bra. He'd been pretty much right earlier. She wasn't wearing anything but some flimsy pair of panties underneath that freaking dress.  
  
He suckled her nipple and Nat went wild. She shoved one of her own hands under her dress and into her panties and rubbed herself in time to the thrusts of his fingers and it took only a minute longer for her to cum on his fingers and Merle couldn't help but grin against her breast when he felt her pussy squeezing the life out of his digits.  
  
“Damn, girl. You're a fucking wildcat. I knew it.”  
  
“Not so bad yourself.” she was still panting while she loosened her legs from around his waist and let him set her down on shaky legs. “Let's call a cab. I've had enough.”  
  
“Aw c'mon, Lil Bit. We're just getting started.” Merle wanted to give her still exposed breast a squeeze, but she pushed him away and covered herself up. She had sobered up a bit and really didn't feel good about what had just happened. It had felt good, but this was not how she had wanted things to go between them. She just wanted to get home. “Cab, Merle. Now!”  
  
Merle didn't move and stood there staring at her with a deep frown. He wasn't able to understand what was happening. One minute she'd rode his fingers like her life depended on it and now she was pushing him away and wasn't even looking at him anymore. He wondered if he'd somehow passed out in between, he just had no explanation why she was being so different all of a sudden.  
  
When he didn't make a move to go inside she stormed past him and went back to their table to grab her purse. She said goodbye to the guys and used her cell phone to call a cab. Merle came up to her just when she hung up. “You leavin, Lil Bit?”  
  
“Yeah, told you... Cab's gonna be here in a couple minutes. You going home, too or you gonna stay a little longer?” She still wasn't looking at him, she kept her eyes on the street, looking for the cab.  
  
“Imma stay. Nothing for me ta do at home.”  
  
“Alright. See ya.” She dismissed him, earning a scoff from Merle who turned and headed back inside, muttering something about a stupid turn-around bitch. She didn't care in that moment, she had fucked it up. Drinking had always gotten her into trouble and this time hadn't been an exception. No wonder Jarah hated her like this. She hated herself like this.  
  
##### ####### ####### ###### ##### ######  
  
Jarah was biting the back of her own hand. It was better than breaking off her teeth by biting into the edge of the whirlpool. She was going insane, Daryl was killing her. As it turned out, that thing that he'd seen in a movie once was actually working and now he had one of the jets of the whirlpool “torturing” Jarah's clit over and over while he rammed himself inside of her, fucking her as hard as he could, just like she'd demanded. Her shoulders and upper back were covered in angry, red bite-marks, courtesy of a rough Daryl, who was going out of his mind himself by having her walls convulse around his dick almost the entire time he was inside of her. Thanks to their previous activities he was able to hold out and enjoy the whole thing longer and when he finally came deep inside of her, Jarah moved her hips out of the way and collapsed over the edge of the pool, shaking and completely spent.  
  
Daryl was a bit shaky himself and slipped out of her right away and plopped down on his ass next to her, stretching out his strained legs, while he leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a moment.  
  
“I'm gonna be so fucking sore tomorrow. Ain't gonna be any fun at all.” Jarah's sleepy voice roused him from his relaxed state and made him chuckle.  
  
“Was worth it, though, wasn't it?”  
  
“Mhm.” She was too tired to talk. He had effectively worn her out completely.  
  
“Can ya walk?” he asked while his eyes proudly took in his handiwork on her back.  
  
“Can you?”  
  
“Might be a couple more minutes. Think we can get one of these at home?” He grinned and she scoffed.  
  
“Hell no. We'd turn into those rats who'd push the pleasure button more than the food button. Wait, was it rats? Shit, who cares.”  
  
Daryl actually had to laugh out loud. Seemed like he'd literally fucked her brains out this time. He gently kissed along her side while he got back on his knees to get out and towel himself off. Jarah was still kneeling in the tub with her arms resting on the egde and her head resting on her arms, she had absolutely no ambition to move on her own.  
  
“Come on sweetheart. I'll carry ya to the bedroom, but ya gotta dry off first. Can't have a getting sick now.”  
  
“I can't. You destroyed my will to move.”  
  
He wrapped the used towel around his waist and put a fresh one around her shoulders before he perched down in front of her so he could look her in the eyes.  
  
“Come on, babe. You're back's cold already. Can't afford a cold. C'mon, up!  
  
She groaned and grumbled, but she knew he was right and slowly got up and stepped out of the whirlpool with his help. He made true on his promise and carried her back to the bedroom and made sure she was on her left side and had all the pillows she needed to support her body so she wouldn't be hurting too much, as she was already out cold. He slipped in next to her and turned on his side to face her and gently rubbed her belly a little until he fell asleep himself.  
  
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Five hours later Jarah's night was over when she woke up gasping for air, because Jamie was pressing against her lungs again. She hated when it surprised her at night, she felt her fingertips tingling and noticed that she was starting to hyperventilate. She took one deep breath and held it for a couple of seconds and admonished herself to get her act together inside her head, before she released the breath and started to take more controlled ones, forcing herself to stay calm, even thought the feeling of not being able to take in enough air was still scaring her like crazy.  
  
“You're doin' so good, Jar. I'm proud of you. It's gonna pass, you're okay.” he whispered with his sleepy voice while he rubbed his hand along her leg comfortingly. She had made great progress with that thing over the past couple of weeks. He had been there when it had first happened and she had had a full blown panic attack, because of not being able to breathe right. She had almost passed out and had looked right through him not hearing a word he had said to try to calm her down, so her being able to calm herself down really was great progress.  
  
“I'm sorry I woke you up.” she sighed apologetically and gave him a kiss when he sat up and leaned towards her.  
  
“Don't worry about it. No chance of goin' back to sleep now, huh?”  
  
“No, gotta pee.”  
  
“'Kay, I'll go out on the balcony to smoke. Bring me back some coffee?”  
  
“I will.” She kissed him lovingly before she scooted out of bed carefully and waddled over to their bags in all her naked pregnant glory, while Daryl watched her with a smirk, already getting all kinds of ideas for some recreational activities.  
  
“Toss me some underwear, will ya? Not goin' out there butt naked.” He caught the boxer briefs she threw at him and had to laugh when he watched her try to step into her panties and pull them up. Not an easy task for someone who was 34 weeks pregnant and couldn't bend down like they used to.  
  
“You know, it would be nice to get a little help instead of having you chuckle your ass off at my expense.” she was hurt and irritated by his laughter and just wanted to cover up her body as quickly as possible now.  
  
Uh-oh, he'd forgotten that she was starting to get a little self-conscious at times now. Him laughing while she stood naked in front of him probably wasn't helping. But before he could do anything to help she had sat down on the chair by the closet and had lifted her legs to get the panties on them and had them up to her thighs before she got back up to pull them up all the way. She dug her hand into her duffel bag to grab a top to wear and the first thing she grabbed and pulled out was something she had bought for Daryl, thinking that he might like it. Now she felt stupid for even thinking that he might think of it as hot. She put the sexy black and purple colored, see-thru baby doll on anyway and walked out of the room without another word or even another look at him. She had even brought heels, because he'd wanted to see them on her, but fat chance on that happening now.  
  
Daryl groaned and buried his head in his hands for a moment. He was cursing his inexperience. Even though he had come a long way, there was still so much more he had to learn and watching his mouth around her was one of those things. It was just a new situation. Up until a week or two ago she'd been comfortable with her body, but somehow that had started to change and Daryl hadn't adapted to that new development yet. Apparently fucking her near unconscious isn't doing the trick anymore to show her he still desired her more than anything else in the world. He put his underwear on with a deep sigh and grabbed his smokes from his pants that hung over the back of the chair and then went out on the balcony that belonged to the bedroom and had a relaxing cigarette in the fresh cool morning air.  
  
When he came back in five minutes later, Jarah wasn't back yet. After peeing she had put on some coffee and had gulped down one big glass of juice followed by a big glass of water and found herself having to take another trip to the bathroom to pee. It took her ten more minutes to return to the bedroom with Daryl's and her own mug of the hot brew.  
  
“You're not supposed to have any of that, remember?” Daryl couldn't believe that after the whole hospital fiasco she would go ahead and have that fucking coffee attack her blood pressure even more.  
  
“Mind your own business, Chuckles.”  
  
“Hey, cut it out!” he admonished her softly and took her cup out of her hands and set it on his nightstand. “You know I wasn't laughing at you.”  
  
“Yes you were.”  
  
“Fine, I was, but I didn't mean it like that. What's going on? You used to make fun of it yourself.”  
  
“Exactly. I used to make fun of it. Not you. Always thought you were okay with how I looked. Guess I got a little too fat now after all, huh? Can't really help it, you know? He's just growing, my hips are preparing to push him out. Nothing I can do.” She was looking down at her belly, fumbling around with the hem of her baby doll top, while she talked quietly. She was heartbroken. Her father had raised her to be self-conscious, to always be worried about her figure. When she'd gotten together with Daryl he'd always made her feel beautiful and wanted and she had believed him. She'd wrapped herself in a blanket of false security and now he'd brutally ripped it away from her, making her see the hard ugly truth.  
  
“Don't ya think I know that, girl? Have I ever complained? Ever said anything about you not looking fucking beautiful? You're the only girl I ever wanted to be with. I wouldn't care if you were as big as a damn tank, I'd still wanna fuck you six ways to Sunday. Wish you'd keep some of that meat on ya once he's out.”  
  
Daryl leaned over and tried to kiss her cheek, thinking he'd done a good job of reassuring her that he was crazy about her, which was why he was surprised as hell when she pulled away from him and looked at him with a hurt expression on her face and a tear rolling down her face.  
  
“Oh great, so now you're saying you don't hate my body now, but you're gonna hate it as soon as it goes back to the way it was? Awesome. Thank you for your honesty.” Her voice rose the more upset she got. She pushed the covers away from her and tried to get out of bed as gracefully as she could.  
  
“That's not what I said!” Her attitude was starting to piss him off. He didn't appreciate being yelled at at six in the morning, especially when he was doing nothing but tell her he'd always want her, but her fucking hormones were doing a number on her again and she was hearing the complete opposite.  
  
“That's exactly what you just said!” she shouted at him from where she stood next to the bed now. “Fine, you want big tits and curvy hips? Well tough fucking luck, not something the good Lord blessed me with. Why don't you go try your luck with Nat if that's what gets you off.”  
  
“That's enough! Just stop talking, you're not yourself right now. Those fucking hormones of yours are screwing up your brain again.” He got out of bed himself when she went over to her bag to look for a pair of jeans or sweatpants or whatever she could wear outside.  
  
“Fuck you, Daryl.” she muttered and yelped in surprise when she felt his strong hand encircle her arm and he spun her around to face him, his furious eyes boring directly into hers.  
  
“You wanna say that again to ma face?” he growled menacingly while he backed her into the wall.  
  
“Just leave me the fuck alone. Don't touch me!” she tried to jerk out of his grip, but he just held on tighter. “Daryl, I said let go!”  
  
“Really? Not what I heard.” She started struggling against him more, but he caught both her wrists in his hands with ease and pushed them up over her head, pinning her against the wall. He leaned his head down towards her until their noses were touching and smirked a little. “How's it feel? Sucks not being heard, don't it?”  
  
“Let go!” she was panting by now, but she wasn't struggling anymore. Daryl's eyes fell down to her chest for a second and his smirk grew more pronounced.  
  
“Ya sure that's what ya want?” One of his hands let go of one of her wrists, his other hand quickly grabbing it, keeping her exactly where he wanted her. His now free hand cupped her right breast, his thumb circling the rock hard nipple through the flimsy material of her top. “'cause this right here is tellin' me otherwise.”  
  
She shivered and cursed her body for being so damn responsive to him.  
  
“Cocky bastard.” she wanted to slap that smirk off his face. In that moment she wanted to hurt him, the way his laughter had hurt her. “Get away from me. I don't want you, right now.”  
  
“Liar.” he whispered against her lips with a grin, before he roughly pressed his mouth down on hers. Jarah responded and kissed him back for a moment, but only to gain better access to be able to bite his bottom lip. Which she did, hard. Daryl groaned and squeezed her sensitive tit a little harder, making her gasp from the mix of pleasure and pain.  
  
“Oh you wanna play? Alright, two can play that game, girl!”  
  
He released her wrists and buried his hand into her hair, yanking her head to the side, roughly kissing her and stabbing his tongue into her mouth. When he'd gotten his fill he nibbled along her jaw before sinking his teeth into her neck just as hard as she had bitten his lip. Jarah let out a scream and raked her nails over his arms while he sucked hard. She tried to get away from him AND get closer to him at the same time, she didn't know what was happening, she was furious and horny at the same time, he was driving her insane.  
  
The mark he'd left on her neck was huge and almost black in color and neatly framed by his teeth marks. He kissed her hard, his hands fisting the material of her top on both sides before he gave a good, hard tug, tearing it apart in the middle and yanking the straps down her arms.  
  
“Fucking jerk! That was new!” she growled between kisses, but she could barely get her lips to separate from his. Daryl had hooked one strong arm around her neck, keeping her head firmly in place while he attacked her mouth with his and dragged her over to the bed. Jarah pushed and shoved at his chest, but when he wouldn't budge she pinched his right nipple hard between two fingers, causing Daryl to hiss and drag his blunt nails down her back, leaving angry red welts in his wake.  
  
She moaned and dug her fingers into his hard pectoral muscles, just before he dropped to his knees and took her with him. Rough hands on her hips turned her to face the bed, then her panties got the same treatment as her top. He ripped them apart in one fluid motion and tossed them over his shoulder and just a second later he was inside of her, slamming his hips into hers at a hard and relentless pace. His left hand grabbed her hair and he yanked her up, his other hand going to her breasts, thumb flicking over her nipple while she yelled out her pleasure.  
  
“Yeah, that's what ya need, girl, ain't it? Someone to fuck some sense into you.”  
  
“Daryl...”  
  
“I'm here, I got ya. Always gonna take care of ya.” he groaned into her ear and practically felt her change back to her old self again, all the anger and adrenalin inside of her dissipating with every one of his thrusts. She turned her head and they kissed passionately, their tongues gliding and tangling, one of her hands reaching up behind her to grip his hair and holding on for dear life. They both slumped forward when he came, she rested her arms and her head on the edge of the bed, much like she'd done hours ago in the whirlpool, while he dropped gentle kisses all over her back, trying to soothe the scratches that had joined the bite marks he'd left on her back earlier. He looked down at his own arms when he felt the sting from the scratches she had inflicted on him and chuckled.  
  
“Damn, we look like we slept in a fucking rose bush or something.”  
  
“I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. I'm a monster, I can't even control it anymore.” she sounded defeated. She knew he hadn't meant to hurt her, a couple weeks ago she would have laughed about it, but today her emotions had gotten the better of her.  
  
“It wasn't you. I know that. Relax, we're good. Nat told me you need a good asskicking from time to time. Guess today was one of those times.” He kissed her shoulder and got up from the floor before helping her up and into bed. Once he was settled in next to her she snuggled into her usual spot against his side and gently kissed his chest, where she could reach.  
  
“I'm really sorry, Daryl. I don't even know what to say.”  
  
“Don't have to say anythin'. Told you, we're good. Good thing that I know just how to handle ya.” he grinned and kissed her forehead.  
  
“Yeah, you're right, you really do.”  
  
They cuddled in silence for a while, gently caressing each other while they watched the sun come up.  
  
“What do you think it's gonna be like when he's here?” Daryl murmured after a while.  
  
“I don't know. Guess it depends on what kind of baby he'll be.”  
  
“Still gonna be sending me home at night when ya think I should get more rest?”  
  
“If he cries a lot at night, then yeah. No reason for you to be more tired than you have to be.”  
  
“What if I don't wanna go home?”  
  
“I'd feel bad every time you'd yawn the next day.”  
  
“Seriously?”  
  
“Yeah. I care about you, don't want you to be exhausted all the time.”  
  
“I don't care about being exhausted. It's part of being a new parent. And that's what I'm gonna be. Just like you. Right?”  
  
Jarah looked up at him stunned. They hadn't talked about his role in Jamie's life yet, she didn't know how he thought about the whole thing and felt kind of shy about approaching him about it. “That what you want?”  
  
“It is. I told you, I'm never leaving. We're gonna be together. Told you I wanna marry you one day and he is part of that deal. If we'd get married tomorrow, I'd fucking adopt him the day he's born if your ex would sign the papers.”  
  
“And now you're making me cry.” Jarah sniffled and wiped her eyes. “I'd ask if you were serious, but I already know that you are. You never joke about this stuff.”  
  
“Nah, never.” he smiled and gently brushed a tear away with his thumb.  
  
“So,... you'd be okay with being his daddy? You wouldn't mind if we'd refer to you like that right from the start?”  
  
“Hell no I won't mind, I'm gonna cut the cord. I'd freaking catch him, if you'd let me. He's gonna be mine, Jar.”  
  
His heart melted when she gave him her big smile. “Yeah, he's gonna be yours.”  
  
“We're gonna be a family. A real one. And a family usually lives together, right?”  
  
“Yeah,... does that mean you wanna move in?”  
  
“Let's face it, I'm already living with you. Most of my stuff is at your house. When I shower at the apartment I have to use Merle's stuff because mine is in your bathroom. The only thing I haven't done yet is share rent and the money for groceries with you. Feel real shitty about that, now that I think about it. You been cooking for me for over two months and I only paid for shopping like three times. The next two months are on me.”  
  
“Is Merle able to afford the apartment on his own?”  
  
“Yeah, he makes enough at the auto shop, he'll be fine. So, that a yes?”  
  
“It's a yes. You're right, we are already living together. Time to make it official.” She grinned when the warm feeling of butterflies fluttering around her stomach started. “You're gonna have to change your address with your boss and your bank and everything. Why does that get me all fluttery?”  
  
He laughed. “I don't know, gotta be a woman thing, I reckon. Maybe ready to revisit the whole marriage thing again now?”  
  
“Don't push your luck.” she giggled. “Still a little early for that. Let's just see how living together for real goes for a couple of months.”  
  
“Fine. I'll ask again in two or three months.” He smiled and kissed her lips and the tip of her nose sweetly. “Hey, you said you went to some kind of school for languages or something?”  
  
“Yeah, why?”  
  
“So you speak other languages?”  
  
“I do, French, Spanish and Italian.”  
  
“And you worked as a secretary when you first got to Atlanta?”  
  
“Yes, I did. Where are you going with this?” she frowned, not quite sure why he was suddenly so interested in her skills.  
  
“Your job sucks. I saw how much Nat had to work the past couple of weeks with all kinds of crazy shift changes from one day to the next. Can't do that with a newborn baby and I can't just take a half day whenever I want to. You can't afford to pay a nanny to watch your kid eleven hours every day. You shouldn't work full time at all while he's still little. I was thinking. Patricia, Jimmy's wife, she is like a translator or something and she does her work at home. She has to go into the office like once a week or so for a couple of hours, but that's it. The rest of the week she spends at home, working on her freaking couch. She can do her stuff whenever she feels like it as long as she gets it done by the due date. Maybe she could hook you up.”  
  
“You think? That does sound good. I thought about a job change. A lot actually, but I always worked so much that I didn't have the time or the energy left to go on job interviews or send out applications in the first place.”  
  
“Now would be the perfect time, Jar. Think about it. You could spend all day with him and when I'm home I can take care of him and you can get some work done. We could make it work. You could get a shitload done on the weekends if you're too tired during the week. I can spend the whole day with him outside then, give you your space. We should at least ask Patricia, don't you think? And even if it doesn't work out, we should take a look at what else is out there. Part-time office job or something. We're gonna share rent, finances in general, you get child support, so the little one is covered, even if it would take some time to find something, it wouldn't be a huge problem.” Daryl was on fire and Jarah just fell in love with him all over again while she listened and watched him.  
  
“You got it all figured out, huh?”  
  
“Told you, I'll always take care of ya.”  
  
“I know and you do. You must have spent quite some time thinking about all this.”  
  
“Had a lot of time on my hands with you being in the hospital and me being off work for a couple of days. Think about it, okay? Nat is like a powerhouse and I saw how exhausted she was. I'm not saying you're weak or anything, but you'll have a baby at home that'll need his momma, no matter how exhausted you are. Don't ever want ya to collapse again. That's not helping anybody, so promise me that you'll quit. Or that you'll at least give it some thought. Please.”  
  
“I promise. I'll think about it. I just wanna sit down and go through all the financial stuff before I hand in my resignation, alright? I need to make sure that we'll be alright.”  
  
“Alright, sounds fair.”  
  
“Good. And now, no more grown-up talk. We're here to have fun. It's Saturday morning, what would you like for breakfast?”  
  
She laughed when his only answer was a cute little grin and his hand sliding up her thigh.  
  
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	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23  
  
It's funny how much can change within five days, when you're in the home stretch of your pregnancy. Jarah had wished so hard for the baby to finally drop lower so she would be able to breathe better again. Now that it had happened, she felt like walking on her hands all day long just so she could get him back up. She'd choose being out of breath and fighting panic attacks over the hell she was in now, any day.  
  
It had started out pretty harmless. On Sunday when they'd gotten back from the lake house she had started to get a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions. She didn't like them very much, they felt weird, but at least they didn't hurt and it meant the baby would start to drop. Daryl was fascinated by how hard and tight her belly got when she had them. He instinctively knocked his knuckles against her belly, like he would knock on a door and expected it to make the same sound, because that's how hard and solid her tummy felt underneath his fingers. Every single time he would chuckle and shake his head, confused that it didn't sound exactly like him knocking on a door.  
  
“Nature's kind of a bitch.” he stated on Tuesday night when he felt her belly tighten up once more underneath his palms.  
  
“Why?” Jarah shot him a confused glance over her shoulder before she went back to peeling potatoes.  
  
“These are real contractions, right? But they don't hurt. Why do they hurt like a motherfucker when you actually have to push him out?”  
  
“Because those contractions will be a lot stronger, baby. These are just tiny gentle waves that guide him a little lower.”  
  
He just nodded and let his fingers trail over her swollen belly. It was hard to grasp that all of her belly consisted of uterus only right now and that the whole area would be wracked with strong cramps soon. He knew it was useless, but he really hoped that it wouldn't get too bad for her. During her hospital stay he had read up on some stuff and knew that for some women the contractions were more like a strong back pain or slightly amped up menstrual cramps and they were able to deal with them pretty well. That's what he wished for Jarah.  
  
On Wednesday night everything seemed normal, apart from the fact that Jarah's up-beat nature around him had dulled considerably. Ever since the incident during the weekend her self-consciousness had also increased and she made sure not to be naked in front of him anymore. Other than that everything seemed fine. She had made dinner as usual and afterwards they'd been lounging on the couch, watching some TV. When she'd gotten up later to go to the bathroom, her knees suddenly buckled and she was hissing and holding her back in pain. Daryl was by her side within a second to help her straighten up.  
  
“Ouch, careful! Careful! Okay don't touch me, you're making it worse! Goddamn.” she groaned with her face contorted in pain, as she slowly tried to straighten her body again.  
  
“What was that? Contraction?” Daryl felt like panicking, he had no idea what the hell was going on.  
  
“No, it's just my back. I think Jamie might be pressing against my sciatic nerve. Damn, that's no fun at all.” She waddled to the bathroom, with her hand pressed against her back, where a dull ache started to spread out through her lower body with every step. Daryl gently massaged her back when she got back, but it didn't help at all, the ache didn't go away. Every single time she moved around it started up again. It was especially worse when she wouldn't move for some time and then get up and try to walk around. It almost brought her to her knees every time. Daryl felt helpless, unfortunately she couldn't just go ahead and swallow painkillers and his massages didn't help.  
  
He had hoped the doc would be able to do something about the pain when she would go in for her check-up the next day, but at night she told him that she would just have to live with it until up to six weeks after the baby was born. When she told him, Daryl knew for sure that the honeymoon period was over and that they had a rough couple of weeks ahead of them. He really couldn't wait until that baby was six weeks old. Everything was supposed to get better after those freaking six weeks and he hoped to God that it was true. His sweet, happy girl had left the building for the time being and he already missed her terribly.  
  
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“I need a break.” Jarah stopped walking and stemmed her hands against her back and arched it a little in an attempt to relieve some of the discomfort.  
  
“You just took a break five minutes ago. Come on. Almost home.”  
  
“It fucking hurts, Daryl. Just give me a damn minute.”  
  
“Stop whining and suck it up. You gotta keep walking, you know what the birth witch said.”  
  
“God, I hate you so much right now.” Jarah muttered darkly when he took her hand and dragged her with him.  
  
“No you don't. You hate the pain and the situation.” he sighed. They'd had this discussion for three nights in a row now. Jarah was pissed that he still made her walk about two hours every night, even though every single step hurt her. The doula had told him to keep her active, no matter how uncomfortable it was going to get and that was exactly what he did. It was tough for Daryl to have her pissed at him, but he had sworn that he would help her, whether she liked it or not.  
  
Daryl had developed a whole ritual ever since she hit 34 weeks. First they'd walk, then he'd fix her a cup of raspberry leaf tea and while she sipped that he did the perineal massage on her. All tips from Stephanie to avoid an episiotomy. Jarah had felt really weird the first couple of times he'd done that massage, but he desperately wanted to help and he was able to reach much better, so she'd relented. Tonight was no different, they got back, Jarah plopped down on the couch and Daryl made the tea.  
  
Her phone was buzzing on the kitchen counter when he entered and he automatically checked the screen. He picked the phone up with a frown and unlocked the screen.  
  
“Do you know that you got like 6 messages from your lawyer?” He yelled over to the living room.  
  
“Yeah, he's been calling all day.” She yelled back while she tried to push her panties down under her maxi dress.  
  
“And you don't think it might be important? Why the fuck aren't you picking up?” he was starting to lose his patience. Her new attitude really wasn't easy to deal with.  
  
“It's probably just Jackson trying to pull some custody shit or something. Don't feel like talking about that today.”  
  
Daryl sighed deeply and put the phone back on the counter and started to get the water boiling for her tea, desperately wishing that he could turn back time. At least just a week, to when things had still been great.  
  
“You're calling him back later!” he announced when he walked into the living room and handed her the tea. Then he got the oil from the bathroom and sat himself cross-legged on the couch between her legs, pulled off her panties the rest of the way and got to the massage.  
  
“Ouch! You're doing it too hard! Stop being so rough!” she kicked her foot against his biceps when she had enough of the stretching burn.  
  
“Kick me again and we're gonna have a real problem!” he shot her a hard look and kept doing his thing, apart from the kick, he remained unfazed by her complaining. “I'm doing it the same way as always. You're just looking for a fight.”  
  
It was true. She'd become very belligerent in the past couple of days. If it wasn't for Daryl and his patience, no matter how dangerously close it was to running out, they would have full-blown fights all the time now. Thank God he was able to put her in her place every once in a while. His words sobered her up again and she rubbed her face tiredly.  
  
“You're right. I'm sorry. I'm being unfair to you.” She blinked away some tears and scoffed. “I hate this so much. I feel like all I'm doing now is complaining and getting angry at you and then apologizing for complaining and getting angry. This isn't me, at all. I'm not like this.”  
  
“I know. Your hormones and the pain are wearing you down. But I gotta be honest with you, sweetheart, you are letting yourself go. You gotta start trying a little harder at keeping it together, alright? You're not making it any easier. Neither on me, nor on yourself. It's just five more weeks. You've come this far. You can do it.”  
  
“I promise, I'll do better. I'm sorry.”  
  
“I know you are.” He leaned over her and kissed her before he wiped his hands on his pants and pushed her phone into her hands. “Here, call your lawyer back. If he called six times it's gotta be fucking important.”  
  
Daryl got off the couch to bring the oil back into the bathroom and Jarah dialed the number with a feeling of dread settling in the pit of her stomach. The divorce had been settled, so it had to be Jackson stirring up shit again.  
  
Daryl's brow knit in concern when he came back to the living room and noticed Jarah's ashen complexion. He tried to catch her gaze, but she seemed to distracted to even notice that he was back in the room with her. She startled when Daryl spoke up once she'd hung up.  
  
“The fuck's going on? The jackass pressing charges?”  
  
“No. There's a new development. His parents had his lawyer call mine to inform me...” her voice trailed off, as a thousand things ran through her head at once, while Daryl grew impatient.  
  
“Would you tell me already? What is it?”  
  
“Jackson was in an accident. He's in a coma. It looks like he's not gonna make it. His spinal cord was severely injured. Even if he does make it, the doctors think he might never be able to move again.”  
  
Daryl was stunned into silence. A million different feelings were coursing through his body, most of all relief. Then he felt a little bad about being relieved and then he felt confused about feeling bad for the motherfucker. He had to mentally shake himself to gain back his focus and after the initial moment of shock Daryl found that he was satisfied with this development. Jackson had hurt his girl and now he'd gotten his punishment. Even if he survived this, he would still be out of their lives once and for all. No judge would even think about changing the custody agreement when he was in no way able to care for the boy.  
  
He sat down on the couch and carefully pulled Jarah into his lap to hold her.  
  
“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly against her skin after kissing her temple.  
  
“I don't know. I think he's gonna die. He had one of those Do Not Resuscitate orders. If he stops breathing or his heart stops beating, they gotta let him go. It would be better for him. Anything is better than being trapped in your own body for the rest of your life.”  
  
Daryl thought that it sounded like that might be the punishment he deserved, but he didn't say it out loud. He didn't feel the need to pile on, she was obviously shaken by the news.  
  
“Need anythin'?”  
  
“No, I'm fine. Just processing.” She smiled and kissed him. Gently at first, but it quickly turned hard and urgent, while she wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on to him for dear life. She suddenly realized just how quickly she could lose him. A stupid car accident was enough. He drove everyday. He might just leave for work one day and never come back because of a drunk or reckless driver or because his car malfunctioned or whatever.  
  
Daryl pulled away when he felt wetness on his cheek, at least he tried to pull away to look at her, but she clung to him as tightly as she could and buried her face in his neck.  
  
“I'm so sorry. I was such a bitch. What if anything had happened on our way back and me telling you that I hate you would have been the last thing I ever said to you? I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.” She kept sobbing over and over.  
  
“Shhhh, it's okay sweetheart. Calm down. We talked about it. Things are gonna change. Shhhhhh, calm down.” he gently stroked her hair and back and was relieved when she started to quiet down. “How about we just go to sleep early today and forget about this whole fucked up week?”  
  
“Sounds really good. I'm beat anyway.” She agreed to his suggestion and let him help her up so she could get ready for bed.  
  
##### ####### ###### ####### ####### ######## #######  
  
The next morning she was determined to make things right again and take proper care of her man. When she woke up she gritted her teeth and swallowed down all her complaints about the annoying pain her sciatic nerve was causing her and waddled into the kitchen to make breakfast, while Daryl was still sleeping.  
  
She woke him up with soft kisses later and treated him to two-colored waffles. Half chocolate, half-vanilla and all kinds of toppings. When he was done eating she stuck a cigarette between his lips and opened the window on her way to take the dirty dishes to the kitchen and spent some time cleaning until she was sure the smoke had aired out. She brought him back a second coffee and snuggled up against him while he sipped it with a little grin.  
  
“Ya know, I appreciate what you're doing, but ya don't have to wait on me hand and foot. I know you're hurting.”  
  
“I know, but I want to do it. You deserve it. It's like you said, I have to suck it up. It's not gonna go away and the less time I complain about it the less time I spend being too focused on it.”  
  
“That's ma girl.” he smiled and toyed with the strap of her bra that was peeking out from under her sleep shirt. His fingertips deftly pushed it over her shoulder and he leaned in and nibbled on her ear.  
  
“How 'bout some dessert?”  
  
“There's no dessert with breakfast!” She tensed up when his other hand tugged on her shirt to push it up over her belly and she sat up quickly, hissing a little when she got punished for the fast move with a sharp sting in her lower back. “Oh I think I forgot to put the tab in the dishwasher, be right back.”  
  
She got out of bed as fast as possible and Daryl watched her leave with a frown. “You're thinking about the dishwasher? NOW?”  
  
He didn't get an answer and when she still wasn't back a couple of minutes later he followed her to investigate. He found her in the kitchen, supporting herself on her forearms on the kitchen counter while she flipped through a magazine that had been in the mail. His frown deepened.  
  
“What're ya doin'?”  
  
“Oh just got distracted by the magazine. Sorry.” She felt bad, she knew he wanted sex, but she really didn't feel like it. She was scared that he might feel hurt by her turning him down, so she was trying to avoid situations like the one in bed.  
  
Daryl stepped closer, pressing his front against her back and leaned his head down to place kisses on her neck. She gently took hold of his hands that had started to roam and turned around with a big sigh. “I'm sorry, baby. I just don't have it in me right now.”  
  
His face displayed confusion, not quite sure what she meant.  
  
“It's not you, Daryl. It's totally not you, I am just... I don't know, my body is kinda tired and my back hurts, so sex won't be fun at all and I feel like I'm sitting on Jamie's head all the time now, so I think having you inside me might be real uncomfortable from now on...”  
  
He finally realized what she meant. She didn't want to have sex anymore. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't disappointed, but of course he understood.  
  
“It's alright. Don't worry 'bout nothin'.” he kissed the tip of her nose and leaned his forehead against hers, while he pondered whether or not he was to blame for what she was going through. Maybe she'd feel better if he wouldn't push her so hard every night. But then again she needed that exercise. Stephanie had said that she had to build up her muscles for labor. He'd always remember that.  
  
They were interrupted by the front door opening and being slammed shut. Nat stormed in and Daryl made a hasty exit to the bedroom to put some clothes on. He didn't need Nat to see his scars.  
  
“Oh my God, did you hear???” Nat looked like she had run all the way from her house to Jarah's, she was panting and her cheeks were flushed.  
  
“Did I hear what?”  
  
“Jackson?”  
  
“Oh yeah. My lawyer called yesterday, told me about it. How'd you find out? Work?” Jarah turned to get a mug from the cupboard and get her friend some coffee.  
  
“Yeah, Mrs. Mayer fell and broke a rib and Richie came in.” Nat explained. Richie was a paramedic who used to be in a band with Jackson. “Everybody thinks he's gonna die, just his parents are in denial and think he'll recover. Shit. Car accident. Breaks didn't work, Richie said.”  
  
“Really?” Jarah frowned. “Kinda ironic. He always took such good care of his car. Guess if he dies it was just his time.”  
  
“Wow, you're being really cool about this. Even I am freaking shocked, I thought you'd lose your mind.”  
  
“I'm done with Jackson. That's what you always wanted, wasn't it. Daryl made me realize a lot of things. Everything positive I ever felt for the guy is just gone.” Jarah shrugged. Maybe she was in some sort of shock, but she actually didn't feel anything when pondering the fate of her ex. There was nothing there, just numbness.  
  
Daryl came back in, now dressed in sweats and a t-shirt and just sent Nat a nod. The woman didn't even acknowledge it, she just started ranting.  
  
“Yeah, but what about the consequences if he dies? Paternity hasn't been confirmed! He dies and you'll have nothing that says that he's the dad! Hell, even if he does survive, he's not gonna be able to pay what he promised you. The only good thing about losing your job was that you still had child support to make sure the little ones covered, but now it looks like you're gonna lose that, too.” Nat didn't even realize what she had said, but Daryl had and his eyes widened noticeably and he shot Nat a mean look.  
  
“What? What do you mean by losing my job?” Jarah spider sense was tingling something awful, but she was not yet able to grasp what was going on. Nat's jaw fell open when she realized that she'd blabbed the big secret and she tried to correct herself.  
  
“I didn't mean you losing your job. You told me you and Daryl wanted to look for something else for you. That's what I meant, if you won't find anything for a while, th-”  
  
“Bullshit!” Jarah started to put two and two together. “You've been weird and avoiding me since the day my divorce was finalized. I know you! Something was going on, but I just haven't been able to figure out what. Well, now I know!”  
  
“Jarah, I'm sorry,... we just thought...” She trailed off and looked over at Daryl and Jarah felt like the rug had been pulled out from under her.  
  
“Oh my God.” She whispered and swallowed hard when she saw Daryl biting his thumb nervously. “You knew. You fucking knew. Now it all makes sense. You wanting to move in,... the whole job thing... It's all just because of this.”  
  
“It's not. You gotta know it's not.” Daryl told her, but Jarah was shaking her head.  
  
“I know that you'd do pretty much anything to help. Doesn't matter whether you wanted to do it or not. It's just who you are. You sacrifice yourself for others. I won't let you do it for me.”  
  
“Jar, that's not what this is. We talked about this. If you'd say yes I'd fucking marry ya today! Think I wanna marry ya, but not live with ya?”  
  
“I don't know anything anymore.” Her brows knit in confusion, she didn't know what to think. It was all too much right now. Jackson, the pregnancy, Nat and Daryl keeping secrets, losing her job, not even knowing why she'd lose it in the first place. She knew she should ask, but she didn't feel like hearing anything else. She needed space and time to sort through the mess in her head.  
  
“Get out. Both of you.” her voice was soft as she turned to go out into her backyard.  
  
“Not leaving you alone, girl!” Daryl refused to listen to her.  
  
“Yes you are. If you love me you'll go. Please, just fucking leave me alone. I can't do this right now.”  
  
Daryl wanted to go after her, but Nat put her hand on his arm to keep him from it.  
  
“This is on you!” he growled while he shrugged off her hand violently.  
  
“I know and I'm sorry, but it's gonna be alright. I've known her longer than you, we gotta go. She needs to process, work out a plan in her head, do her thing. She's gonna be okay, but we gotta give her space.”  
  
Daryl was conflicted. He was scared of leaving her alone now. She's been in a dark place for days now, today had been her first step out of it and now they had made her go ten steps back. He was scared that she might do something stupid like cut herself again or just break down and collapse again.  
  
“She's gonna be fine, Daryl. She needs time alone now. Come on, get your shoes and let's go.”  
  
Daryl finally relented with a deep sigh. He went to the bedroom and changed into his jeans and stepped into his boots, making sure to take his phone with him. He wouldn't go far. He'd take a walk on the trail, hoping that it wouldn't take long for her to call him and ask him to come back.  
  
When she heard the front door close Jarah came back in and grabbed her notepad, the paperwork she needed and a calculator. It was the only thing for her to do now. It's what she had been doing for years. She needed to make sure that she and here baby would be okay. And more importantly she needed to make sure that they'd somehow be okay in case Daryl would no longer be around.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24  
  
 _'At least text me back and let me know that you're ok!'_ Daryl hit the send button and hoped he'd get an answer this time. It had been hours, it was getting dark and he was really worried that something had happened to her. His phone beeped and he quickly unlocked the screen.  
  
 _'I'm okay. Come back pls.' -J._  
  
Daryl's system was flooded with relief. Nat must have been right. She had needed a little bit of time to herself to work through things. He hoped that everything would be alright again from here on out. A waiter brought him the food he'd ordered to go and after paying he quickly left the restaurant and went back home.  
  
He did a double-take and almost dropped the bag of food at the sight that greeted him upon entering the living room. Blind rage took over his entire being for a second, until he was able to grasp that what he was seeing, was not what he initially thought it was. Jarah was kneeling on the couch and bend over the back with her head resting on her folded arms. What he first thought to be a guy, was actually Stephanie, her doula, kneeling behind Jarah, embracing her belly from behind and gently moving back and forth in unison with the pregnant woman. He sighed a breath of relief as the anger dissipated. He'd totally forgotten about the appointment.  
  
“Hi Daryl.” Stephanie greeted him with a quiet soothing voice he was sure she was using for Jarah's benefit. His girl didn't acknowledge him at all. She kept her eyes closed and continued rocking back and forth with Stephanie.  
  
“Hey.” Daryl wasn't able to hide his dislike for the doula very much. “What are you doin'?”  
  
“I'm holding her belly, taking some weight and pressure off of her.” She explained before she turned her attention back to her client. “Jarah, do you want Daryl to take over? I'll draw your bath in the meantime.”  
  
Daryl eagerly made his way over to the couch, putting the bag on the table, but his girl's voice made him stop in his tracks. “No.”  
  
He felt like he'd gotten shot right in the heart and his hopes that everything was okay again quickly died.  
  
“This feels so damn good, this is perfect right now. Don't stop or it's gonna be like at night, when I finally found the perfect position and then I have to go pee and can't get comfortable again for the rest of the night.” Jarah added in a sleepy voice, providing a little relief for Daryl. Maybe they were okay after all and she just didn't want to lose feeling better right now.  
  
“I'll take care of the bath.” Daryl mumbled and vanished into the bathroom when Stephanie gave him a nod.  
  
He stayed in there until the tub was filled with enough water. He made an effort and lit some candles for her, knowing that she enjoyed that very much and that it helped her relax. When he went back to the living room Jarah passed him in the hall. She didn't even look at him and left Daryl to stare at the now closed bathroom door, not knowing what to do with himself.  
  
“Daryl, can I talk to you for a moment?” Stephanie poked her head around the doorway and Daryl begrudgingly went to join her.  
  
“What's up?” he asked and crossed his arms, tucking his hands underneath his armpits in a defensive stance.  
  
“I need you to back the hell off.” Stephanie wasn't fazed by his pose. She had dealt with people like Daryl before and that meaning people, that didn't like her and thought she was full of crap.  
  
“Sorry?!” Daryl couldn't believe his ears. The audacity of that stupid woman and her fucking annoying smile.  
  
“I know you just want to help, but you're a little too hardcore.” She held up her finger when Daryl opened his mouth to say something. “No, you listen to me now. I got a lot to say here. You are pushing her too much right now. It's perfectly fine that you watch out for what she eats and what she drinks and make sure that she stays active, but Daryl you can't force her to walk two hours every night with the pain she is in.”  
  
“But you said-”  
  
“Yes, I know what I said.” she interrupted him. “I said to keep her active, not to torture her, Daryl. Being active also includes stuff she does around the house. Every time she stands in the kitchen and makes you breakfast and dinner, she is being active. Every time she vacuums, she's being active. I meant that she is not supposed to be laying around on the couch all day every day. She is in a lot of pain now and it is going to get a little worse with each week now. Every little thing she does that involves her moving around is great. Have you ever had sciatica Daryl? Do you know what that feels like?”  
  
Daryl shook his head and chewed on his bottom lip nervously.  
  
“It's hell. It hurts like a bitch and usually you can get a shot and will be pretty much alright again the next day. She can't. She has to take the pain for at least 5 weeks if everything goes according to plan, so cut her some slack. She is being a warrior right now when she takes those 2 hour walks with you, do you know that? And she is not doing it for herself, she is doing it for you, because you expect it.”  
  
“I don't expect it! I'm just trying to help!” Daryl got upset that she was accusing him of doing wrong by his girl.  
  
“I know you are and I am just trying to help YOU right now. You do expect it from her, Daryl. You expect her to be strong all the time or you wouldn't tell her to stop whining about it. Yes, she told me. Seriously Daryl, be glad that she didn't beat the crap out of you. You don't tell a pregnant woman to stop whining, no matter how whiney she is. You mean well, but you are too focused on this one thing. You are focused on labor and delivery, but you need to shift that focus away from the future and focus on what she needs right now. She needs a partner, Daryl and not a drill sergeant. She is allowed to have weaknesses and you are supposed to be the one person she can show her weaknesses to, without fear of being rejected. Unfortunately that is exactly what you did, by telling her that she is letting herself go and that she should suck it up. You basically told her that she is not allowed to have a weak moment in front of you.”  
  
“I didn't mean it like that.” Daryl argumented weakly. He was downright shell shocked by what Stephanie was telling him. The worst part was, that the annoying woman was right.  
  
“Then why did you say it? It hurt her a lot. She didn't show it, because she wanted to make you happy, so she is trying to push through the pain, but it's not doing her any good Daryl. She is hurting and the more you force her to walk, the more stress it puts on her and stress on her means stress on the baby as well. Just relax. I had two kids and there were some days during the pregnancy that I just wouldn't get out of bed at all, I was so exhausted. Some days I felt great and I went outside with my husband and took long walks through the park and then on some other days my back hurt so bad we just walked down the street and back to the house for 10 minutes. She needs to listen to her body. If her body says no moving around today or if it says stop, you stop, Daryl. You don't force her to keep going. I know you have good intentions and really, I know that this transition is hard on you too, but in this case you need to be the one who needs to be more understanding. It is hard to grasp for a man what a woman is going through during this time, every woman knows that, but still you need to back off and let her be who she is. So what if she is a cranky bitch for a week or two? She is not doing it to make your life harder, she can't help it and she'll love you even more for supporting her through this difficult time. She has a lot on her plate, too. You know that. Just give her some space to breathe, she is wound too tightly, she seriously needs to relax more. You like to help, so help her relax. I didn't think you'd take my advice so seriously or I would have specified.”  
  
“Just don't want her to be in pain more than she has to be with all that cutting shit.”  
  
“And generally you are doing a great job with the massages and the tea and everything, but in the end it might not even work, you know? Those are things we can't control. She is a small person and the baby seems to be on the bigger side. She might have to get the episiotomy anyway, Daryl. There is no way to tell right now. I need you to be aware of that. So please, just try to back off and just enjoy the last weeks of quiet time you guys will have for quite a while. It's okay to spend a weekend in bed or take only a couple of walks a week. Okay?”  
  
“'Kay.” he mumbled with a nod of his head. His hunch had turned out to be correct. He was partly to blame for how his girl was feeling these days. He had missed the forest for the trees. Stephanie had been right about that. He had been dead set on making labor and delivery a better experience for her and had ignored her current needs.  
  
He'd been doing good for almost three months, now he'd fucked up twice in just one day.  
  
'Yeah, the honeymoon is over.'  
  
####### ###### ####### ###### ####### ###### #######  
  
Merle had a hard time hiding the surprise on his face when he yanked open this apartment door to rip the person who'd interrupted his beauty sleep a new one.  
  
“Well, well, well, look what the fuckin' cat dragged in.” his gaze turned hard as he stared at Nat, who was so uncomfortable that she couldn't even look up at his face.  
  
“Hey,... umm. Can I come in?”  
  
Merle pressed his lips together in a thin line while he thought about it. After a short moment he shook his head. “No!”  
  
The door slammed shut in front of Nat's face and she sighed deeply. Gathering more courage she knocked again. “Come on, Merle. Please?”  
  
It took almost a whole minute for Merle to open the door once again. He sized her up with an unforgiving glance, then he finally stepped aside with a shrug, to let her in.  
  
“Alright. Suit yourself. Whadda ya want?”  
  
“I came to apologize.”  
  
“Hm.” A sardonic smile settled on his lips. “And it only took ya a whole week to realize that ya fucked me over? Some of that peroxide must've seeped into your brain over the years. Yeah, I know that the carpet don't match the drapes, remember. Might have been dark out there, but didn't miss that.”  
  
Nat just stood there and took it. She had figured that he'd come up with some stuff to say to her over the course of the week.  
  
“Fucking women. Y'all are the same. Ya wanna guy to eat ya out so bad? Then ya should shave that shit. Nobody wants to munch on a fuckin' carpet.”  
  
“I know I fucked up, Merle. I made a mistake. I am not sorry about what happened, but I am sorry about how I treated you. You know, after...”  
  
“You mean after ya rode ma hand like your life depended on it? And then when ya got what ya wanted, you gave me the cold shoulder? Ya really had me fooled. I thought you were none of them bitches who do shit like that. Trusted ya.” He hung his head a little and his voice got quieter at the end. It was as close as he would ever come to telling her that she had hurt him.  
  
“I'm sorry. I was so freaking confused. I wanted it, but I never meant for it to happen like that. I never start out with sex, it just never ends well. It's not what I wanted for us.”  
  
“Don't matter no more what ya want, Natalie. Won't trust ya no more. I ain't fool enough to have you fuck me over twice.”  
  
He'd used her real name. She knew she was in deep shit then. “Merle, we gotta talk about this. We all make mistakes. Sure you made your fair share yourself.”  
  
“Yeah, I did. There's one difference. I never woulda done what ya did ta me. Never woulda used ya like that and then left.”  
  
“It was the alcohol, I never should have had s-”  
  
“Ya done? Said what ya wanted ta say? Then get out. Got things ta do.” He went back to the door and opened it wide for her to step through. Nat looked at him for a moment, but he wouldn't meet her gaze anymore. She admitted defeat. She'd apologized but he wouldn't have any of it. Nothing for her to do here right now. But before she left something else crossed her mind.  
  
“Did they tell you about Jackson?”  
  
“What about him?” Merle swallowed hard and Nat narrowed her eyes. He seemed nervous, it looked like he'd startled when she brought up the name.  
  
“He was in an accident.”  
  
“Hm. He dead?” Merle had kept his eyes peeled to the newspaper and news reports on TV, but he hadn't been able to find out if any of the car wrecks had been Jackson.  
  
“No. He's in a coma, but it looks like he won't pull through.”  
  
“Hm.” Merle looked to the side towards his kitchen. He was satisfied that his endeavors had paid off. It had cost him a pretty penny and getting that pretty penny in the first place hadn't been easy either.  
  
“Listen, it's just that this kind of made me realize that things happen. Out of nowhere people die. I don't want us to become strangers again. You're my boo. My favorite Dixon...” she sighed, it didn't look like she was getting through to him at all. She added quietly, “I miss you...”  
  
Merle was like a statue made out of stone. He showed nothing but disinterest. It was hurting her a lot, but she knew she deserved it. She had used him. She hadn't meant to do it, but in the end, that's what it was. After staring at him for another minute and him not acknowledging her, she took it as her cue to finally leave. She passed him and gently let the back of her fingers slide along his shirt-covered belly while she left.  
  
Once again she didn't get a reaction, but as soon as he'd closed the door behind her Merle let out a deep breath he'd been holding. He hated what was going on, but he just couldn't forgive her. Not yet. He'd cleaned his act up for her, he was clean, going to meetings, he had a job, his own apartment now, things had been building towards something good for once in his life. He thought this time him and his little brother could have it all. And then she went and fucked it up. This he wasn't able to forgive too easily.  
  
###### ####### ####### ####### ####### ####### ######  
  
Daryl wanted to go into the bathroom to check on his girl. He knew the door was closed, but he didn't expect it to be locked, which was why he slammed against it with his shoulder, when he wanted to open it after a brief knock. He was flabbergasted. She had never locked the door before, not even when she was on the toilet. He sad, deep sigh left his body through his mouth as he leaned his forehead against the bathroom door.  
  
“Baby?” he mumbled quietly, but still loud enough to make sure she would hear.  
  
No answer.  
  
“Babe?”  
  
Nothing.  
  
“Jarah, please.” he waited, but she didn't respond. “I brought food. Ya need ta eat. It's chinese. Ya been trying two months ta get me ta eat it... Thought tonight would be good. Got that crispy duck. That's what ya liked, right? And fried banana? Sweetheart?”  
  
“I'll be out in a couple of minutes.” he finally heard her voice through the door, but this time he didn't feel any relief. It was obvious that she wasn't in the mood to talk to him. He went back to the living room and put the food out on the dining table. He got himself a fork, because there was no way he'd eat with chopsticks, wouldn't even know how to in the first place and he was starving.  
  
He sat down just when Jarah walked in, in her fluffy purple bathrobe. She sat opposite him and didn't even so much as look at him while she put some of the food from the containers on her plate and started eating.  
  
“Ya still mad, huh?” Daryl couldn't stand the silence. He used to love it, but not with her. He liked when she told him about things, be it her day, something interesting she saw on TV or something she read. Her being quiet was never a good thing.  
  
“Yes.” She answered curtly.  
  
“How long you not gonna talk to me for?”  
  
She shrugged and kept eating.  
  
“Nothing's changed. I didn't tell ya because you were already feelin' shitty that weekend. Ya collapsed hours later, that sure as hell wasn't the time to pile on. Doc said no bad news.”  
  
She didn't answer again and it infuriated him so much that he started yelling, against his better judgement.  
  
“If you're not gonna talk to me, why'd you even want me ta come back?”  
  
“I didn't. Stephanie wanted to talk to you.”  
  
That stung and it made him freeze for a moment. He started chewing on his bottom lip again, he felt nervous and completely out of his element.  
  
“So what now? Ya want me ta go? Move out again maybe?”  
  
“No, that's not what I want, Daryl.”  
  
“Fine. What then? Want me ta tell ya that I fucked up? I did. And I'm sorry, okay? But the fact is, nothing changed. I wanted to move in on the first weekend we spent here. This shit is exactly what I didn't want. I didn't want ya to think that I'm doing this because of the money. That's just a fucking bonus, alright?”  
  
“You went about it the wrong way, Daryl. You wanted to protect me, I get it, but you can't shield me from everything. I am not a little girl, but that is exactly what you've been treating me like in the past week. The worst thing is, that I let you. I reverted back to the way I was during my childhood. I swallowed everything I felt and took your opinion as my own to please you and make you happy. Just because I am too fucking scared to lose you. But I am losing myself here and I can't let that happen. I told you from the very beginning, that things were going to be rough. You said you were aware and even okay with that, but you showed me differently yesterday.”  
  
“I was overwhelmed with the changes...” he admitted and Jarah scoffed quietly.  
  
“I get it Daryl, but how do you think I feel with the changes that are happening to me? You didn't care about that at all. I know I am no fun right now, I hate being this way, but I can't pretend to be all happy and strong just so you feel good. Not right now, because I honestly just don't feel well, Daryl. I need you. I need my wolf back. I am hurting and I grow more scared with each passing week. I didn't care before, because I knew you had my back, but now things got rough for like, what? Three days? And you we're already reaching this point where we don't function as a couple anymore? That's just kind of a real eye-opener, you know?”  
  
“What are ya saying?” He felt like someone was squeezing his guts with an iron fist, she sounded way too much like she wanted to break things off.  
  
“I'm not saying anything, I am just trying to explain what is going on with me right now. I love you. I love doing things for you, but I can't walk around pretending that I feel great even though I don't. It doesn't work and our relationship isn't even supposed to work like that.”  
  
“Don't want you doin' that neither. Don't want ya to pretend with me.”  
  
“But in a way that is exactly what you asked me to do, Daryl. And it really hurt. It was the first time since I've known you that I felt like you weren't accepting me the way I am. Like you couldn't love me like this. I know it's hard to love a bitch and I promise I will work on not letting my anger out on you, but I need you to help me out here. This is just temporary. I hate being the clingy and needy girl, but I guess that's what's happening right now. I need your emotional support and not you snapping at me.”  
  
“This is new for me, too! You gotta cut me some fucking slack here. Sorry that I ain't an expert on handling this side of you. Fucking Stephanie. You were fine this morning.” he was huffing with anger as he leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest like a petulant little boy. This time Jarah didn't think it was cute, she couldn't believe that he didn't seem to be hearing a word she was saying.  
  
“But I wasn't, Daryl. I was pretending. I am feeling like shit, you know that? I tried to swallow it down and act like everything was great, because you told me to. This is not coming from Stephanie. I had a lot of time to think when you and Nat left. Speaking of, when were you going to tell me about me losing my fucking job?”  
  
“Hoped I'd never have to.” he shrugged before he picked up his still untouched beer bottle to take a big gulp.  
  
“You can't keep things like that from me. It's my job, my future.”  
  
“Oh we are back to 'me, me, me and me alone' again, are we? Thought we agreed it was OUR future?”  
  
“Don't even start, Daryl. You had absolutely no right to keep it from me. Neither of you. It would have been okay to keep it from me until I felt better, I would have understood that, but you weren't EVER gonna tell me. That's just fucking wrong.”  
  
“Sorry for fucking caring!” he spat angrily and Jarah just shook her head with a sigh.  
  
“That's not what this is about. Fuck, we're not getting anywhere with this. We're moving in circles.” She needed a break. She carefully got up from the chair and walked over to the couch to get the magnesium pills Stephanie had left for her from the coffee table. They were supposed to help with the discomfort that all the pressure from the baby was causing and she could really use a little pick-me-up right now. She popped two pills into her hand and sat back down opposite Daryl at the table to swallow them with some water.  
  
“What's that?” Daryl asked gruffly. He wanted her to know he was mad too, but at the same time he still cared about what was going on with her.  
  
“Magnesium. It should help with the pain in my abdomen and thighs.”  
  
Daryl frowned. He hadn't even known that she was having any problems with that. He'd thought it was just her back. He realized she hadn't told him, because he'd basically told her not to complain. Guilt was starting to set in, replacing his anger. He knew that he didn't even have any reason to be angry, it was just his go to answer for whenever he didn't know what else to do. This whole thing was new. He'd been in plenty of fights, but he'd never been in a fight with Jarah before.  
  
He leaned forward with his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. The week had been overwhelming for both of them and both didn't know how to deal with it properly, due to their lack of relationship experience, so they'd just snapped at each other over and over. That was probably not the adult way to go about this. They had been doing so good with their communication, at least in the bedroom, but it looked like it hadn't translated into their everyday life yet. At least not fully.  
  
“I'm going to bed.” Jarah announced quietly a couple of minutes later.  
  
“Ya barely ate.” Daryl actually wanted to talk this through some more, but he knew tired Jarah was cranky Jarah and they might just end up making things worse.  
  
“He's pressing on my stomach. Can't eat much in one sitting anymore.” That's all she said before she left him sitting alone at the table. Daryl just kept asking himself how things got this fucked up in this short amount of time. She hadn't told him to sleep on the couch or at Merle's so he joined her in bed an hour later, but there was no cuddling. They both kept their distance.  
  
###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### #######  
  
The next morning they ate breakfast in silence. Daryl took off shortly after, he couldn't stand to be around her when she wasn't talking to him. Jarah cleaned up a bit when she was alone, glad that she had some time to think. Lately she'd been feeling like a meteorite shower of thoughts was raining down on her constantly and she wasn't able to catch them all. She had always been very organized and thought everything through, but the serious case of pregnancy brain she was suffering from, was messing up her ability to think straight and remember things, just adding to her pissy mood.  
  
Nat texted her around noon, asking if she could come over to talk. At first Jarah didn't think it was a good idea, but after thirty minutes of debating what answer to give her best friend, she decided it would be good to clear the air a bit and get some stuff off her chest. It didn't take long for Nat to show up with a box full of baked goods after Jarah had texted her back.  
  
“I'm so sorry. In retrospect, I should have told you, I know.” Nat apologized while she grabbed a glazed doughnut from the box.  
  
“Yeah, you should have known better. Why even call Daryl?”  
  
“I just freaked out, I didn't know what to do. I knew you would freak out and I knew more stress wouldn't be good for the baby and gosh I don't know. Lapse of judgment.”  
  
“Just promise you won't do it again.”  
  
“I won't, trust me. I'm really sorry. By the way, where's Daryl?” Nat finally noticed that the redneck didn't seem to be around and her eyes widened when Jarah just shrugged.  
  
“You didn't kick him out, did you?”  
  
“No, of course not. We're fighting, I guess.”  
  
“He just meant well.” Nat tried to defend him, but Jarah waved her off.  
  
“I know that, but it was just not that.” Jarah told Nat about what had been going on during the week and Nat sighed deeply.  
  
“Oh you two... I understand the both of you. He should have been more understanding and he certainly shouldn't have told you to stop whining, but you should have been a little bit more understanding towards him, too. This is even more new to him than it is to you. He needs time to adjust as well. He just loves you so much, I guess he put you on this pedestal and now he realized that you are just human and have an annoying side, too. You'll just have to talk this out and make up. Admit it, you already miss him!”  
  
“Yes I do. I am just no expert at dealing with this either. I never know how to act after a fight. I don't know if he's still mad and if he even wants me to kiss him and stuff. I am scared of him pushing me away, so I just keep my distance.”  
  
“And I guess it is the same for him from what I've seen. Like I said, just talk and make up. How is my godson doing?”  
  
“Fine. Just bugging the hell out of me now that he's dropped. It really hurts. I feel like my vagina and the insides of my thighs are covered in bruises and every time I walk it feels like someone is taking a baseball bat to those bruises.” Jarah tried her best to explain it, it was the weirdest feeling in the world. She had actually checked in the mirror if there were any bruises and couldn't believe that they weren't there, because it sure felt like they were.  
  
“Yeah, that's the pressure, my aunt had the same thing when she was pregnant with Jerry. Home stretch, girl. He'll be here soon.” Nat was grinning. She was so excited for Jamie's arrival, she could barely wait to kiss the little munchkin's face all over. Her smile faded, though when Jarah burst into tears and started sobbing out of nowhere. “Oh hey... hey it's alright, don't cry. Everything is going to be fine.”  
  
“I'm sorry. I'm just so fucking scared. I don't want to give birth, I really don't. So much can happen and I can't control it. I don't wanna be in pain. I don't wanna do it. I just wanna have a C-Section and be done with it.”  
  
“You'll have a C-Section and then what? You'll still be in pain after.”  
  
“But it's pain I can control and manage. I won't nurse, I can swallow painkillers.”  
  
“Do you know that they won't let you hold your baby for a whole day because of the incision? That's not what you want, is it?” Nat was holding her crying friend and rubbed her back soothingly.  
  
“No...”  
  
“See? You're gonna be fine. Just think of it as one sucky day. Just one day. You've been through worse, sweetie. And you can have an epidural if it gets too bad. Don't worry about it. Stephanie will be there and Daryl will be there and I will be there if I can. We all have your back, honey. You can scream at us and you can squeeze our hands until our fingers fall off and you can even call Daryl names for being a man, because a man got you into that situation in the first place.” Jarah had to laugh at that and started to calm down again.  
  
“I really hope you can be there, Natty.”  
  
“Me, too. It will be my only chance to maybe see Daryl faint. He's not as tough as he seems, especially not where you are concerned.”  
  
“Oh I wouldn't say that. He watched a ton of birth videos, he knows what to expect.”  
  
“Yeah but when he saw that woman in the hospital who was screaming in pain, he got pretty queasy.” Nat laughed, remembering how pale Daryl had been.  
  
“Maybe, but he's gonna be great, I just know it.” Jarah had a smile of adoration on her face when she thought about Daryl and all the things he was doing to prepare for the big day. Hell, he had even started to buy toys and stuffed animals and one day he'd even brought back a cute onesie from a shopping trip to Walmart. He walked with her, he made her tea, he did those massages down there and on her back and thanks to him she didn't have a single stretch mark because he rubbed that stretch mark oil on her belly every day now that she was getting bigger by the week. She did have the greatest guy on earth. So he snapped at her, told her to shut up, but was she really that petty not to forgive him for that? She'd given him a hard time, too. Granted, the job thing had been kind of a big no-no, but again, he'd meant well and in the end it really didn't change anything. She would still be sitting in the same boat had he told her. She wasn't happy he'd kept it from her, but holding a grudge wasn't helping things either.  
  
“Enough about me, what's been going on with you?” Jarah directed her attention back to her best friend.  
  
“God, don't ask. I fucked up so bad.”  
  
“Why? What did you do?”  
  
“Merle and I went to the bar that Friday night when you guys went to the lake house. And I got drunk. And I let him do body shots. And I kissed him. And I lured him to the back of the building. And then I let him finger fuck me against the wall of the building. And then I just left and didn't call him for a week. Yeah, that's pretty much it in a nut shell.”  
  
“Oh. My. God. Did NOT see that one coming.” Jarah gaped at Nat and really didn't know what else to say.  
  
“Yeah, right? I am so stupid. Here I am telling him I'm a classy broad and that he needs to earn his place and he did, he is doing so well right now. I was ready to start dating him and then I get drunk and fuck it all up. Classy my ass. I acted like a slut.”  
  
“That's what alcohol does to you, Natty. Always has.” Jarah shrugged.  
  
“Geez, thanks.” The truth hurt, they both knew that, but they had promised to always be brutally honest with each other. If it had been anyone else but Jarah telling her that, Nat would have bitch slapped her.  
  
“So why did you just leave? I'm sure he was pretty into it, wasn't he? He really likes you.”  
  
“He was totally into it, but I just suddenly realized that it wasn't how I wanted our thing to start. I don't want to base our future relationship on sex. I didn't want him to think, that it was gonna be fun and games. I wanted to make him work for it a little. Woo me a little, you know?” Nat was pouting and Jarah could have kissed her.  
  
“You are so cute. I think there is only one way for Merle to woo you and that's when he grins at you and tells you what a good ride he is. And come on, you love it. Why would you wanna change him? He keeps you on your toes, you've been smitten with each other from the moment you met. You always get so caught up in wanting a fairytale, Nat. As you can see, things don't work that way. Especially not with Merle. You once told me that whatever happens, happens. Take your own advice. I don't think you can plan too far ahead where Merle is concerned. He is like his own force of nature, like a Tasmanian Devil, kind of. Like you said, he cleaned up his act, he is always good to you, the rest you will just have to take as it comes. You always wanted a whirlwind romance, I think that is exactly what Merle would be giving you. You'd never know what to expect. That's what you always wanted, isn't it?”  
  
“Yeah, but I guess I got scared. Like it was too good to be true. I don't know. Doesn't matter anymore anyway. Went to apologize yesterday and when I was done he kicked me out.”  
  
“Just keep trying. I'm sure you bruised his ego. He is a proud man, even more than Daryl, but I think the thing they have in common is, that they both are actually huge softies. They hide it well, but it's there. They had to harden their shells because of the life they had, they are just harder to crack than other people, but when you get to do it and succeed, the reward is huge. Just keep at it. Show him that he means something to you, no matter how hard he keeps pushing you away.”  
  
“Well, hello Oprah.” Nat was stunned. Usually it was her with the big speeches. Jarah never gave relationship advice, just grunted out a couple of words, much like her boyfriend used to. Funny how the tables have turned. “Wow, who thought that a redneck with weird squinty eyes and a crossbow would be so good for you?”  
  
“Who thought an ex-con redneck with a bigger mouth than yours would ever make you fall for him?” Jarah countered with a laugh.  
  
“Touché.”  
  
###### ###### ###### ####### ###### ####### ######  
  
It was dinner time and Nat had been long gone when Daryl finally came back home. Jarah had tried to contact him only to find out that his phone had been left behind on the dresser in the bedroom. Her eyes widened when she noticed all the dirt and blood on him and at the same time she was salivating, because he looked hotter than hell.  
  
“Jesus Christ, what happened to you? Are you alright?”  
  
“Talking to me again?” he was in a foul mood and let her know right away.  
  
“I'm sorry about the silent treatment. I just didn't know what to say.” She kept her voice soft, she knew if she started getting agitated it would just fuel his anger.  
  
“Should've talked this fucking through.” he growled while he scrubbed his hands in the kitchen sink. She startled when he suddenly whirled around and got in her face. His face expressed anger, but his eyes were surprisingly soft. She knew then, that he wasn't really mad anymore, it was just the patented 'I don't know how to do this'-Dixon anger. “This shit ends now. Ya hear me? No more keeping crap from me!”  
  
She looked at him incredulously. “Keeping things from you??? Are you kidding me?”  
  
“Ya didn't tell me about all the fucking pain you were in. Or that ya couldn't eat right no more. I wanna know every-fucking-thing, alright?!”  
  
“Oh yeah? What about the thing you kept from me?”  
  
“None of that shit anymore neither. No more secrets.” Jarah opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly he had her face in his hands and was kissing her hard with bruising force. His tongue invaded her mouth and he groaned out loud and gripped her arms hard when she bit him.  
  
“Fuck girl,...” he breathed out harshly when he rested his forehead against hers.  
  
“What are you doing?” She didn't know what to make of his behavior.  
  
“Dunno. I miss ya so fucking much. Missing ya pissed me off. Been out in the woods all day. Brought back a deer. Just wanted ta kiss ya all day long. Couldn't help maself now.” He shifted a little to hide the fact that he was rock hard. Wasn't appropriate to let her feel that now. He just couldn't help it. Hunting always got him in a mood, especially a successful hunt.  
  
“'Kay,... We gotta talk about this, yeah?” He nodded and she frowned. “Hold on, what do you mean you brought back a deer? Please don't tell me that there's a deer in my backyard?”  
  
“Nah.” he was grinning. “Already took care of it, but you better make some room in the freezer.”  
  
“Alright, I'll do that while you take a shower. I love some manly musk, but you Sir, are a little stinky.” her nose scrunched up when she got a good whiff on him and Daryl smirked.  
  
“Yeah, got some deer piss on me.”  
  
“Jeeeeesus. Shower, now!”  
  
“Kidding.”  
  
“Don't care. Go.” She stepped away from him and pointed towards the bathroom with a stern look.  
  
“Alright. I'll take care of dinner and then we'll get this stuff straightened out. Sound good?” he looked at her carefully. All of a sudden the shy Daryl with eyes full of uncertainty was back. Sometimes he was a mystery to her.  
  
“Yeah, sound good.” he leaned toward her hesitantly and she closed the gap, placing a tiny kiss on his lips, before he left for his shower.  
  
###### ###### ####### ####### ####### ######


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25  
  
Jarah was a little apprehensive about having venison for dinner. It had been a tradition in her family to have venison on Christmas day, when the whole family gathered at this restaurant/inn where Jarah used to bowl with her grandparents every other weekend when she'd been a child. She had tried the meat twice, but had found it to be too bitter and had stayed away from it until now.  
  
“Trust me, you'll love it. I make it good.” Daryl promised with a little smile when she told him about her reservations.  
  
“Can you help me up? I wanna watch. That okay?” She asked while she leaned back against the counter.  
  
“Sure.” Daryl went over to her and lifted her up onto the counter effortlessly. He remained standing between her legs when she didn't release his shoulders right away. She wasn't willing to let go yet. Even though it really hadn't been that long ago, their fight made her feel like it had been ages since they'd been this close and she missed him. She slowly pulled him closer by pulling on his shoulders and after exchanging a soft, gentle kiss she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close. She took a moment to revel in his embrace and to breathe in his scent before he pulled away with a smile.  
  
“Better get back to cooking. Starving.”  
  
“Yeah, me too.” She released him and shifted around to get more comfortable while she watched him cook in silence, the only sounds in the room were those of the music playing on the radio and the sounds of his cooking. However when Johnny Cash's “Jackson” started playing Daryl stopped in his tracks before stomping over to the radio and changing the station. Jarah didn't comment, but her thoughts strayed to her injured ex. She wondered if she should go see him to say her goodbyes. She might not feel anything for him anymore, but he had been her husband and she was carrying his child. She thought that it might be the right thing to do, but she wasn't sure.  
  
“I'm almost done. Wanna set the table?” Daryl's voice shook her out of her thoughts a little while later and she nodded with a smile.  
  
“Yeah, sure. Help me down again?” He helped her slide off the counter and handed her plates and silverware to take to the table and ten minutes later Daryl had filled up her plate and watched her curiously as she took her first bite of the meat she had never liked before.  
  
“And? Like it?”  
  
“Surprisingly, yes. I do. It's good.” She wasn't lying. Maybe it was the pregnancy or her taste buds just had matured but she enjoyed the taste of the deer meat very much, especially in combination with the cranberry sauce he'd made. Seems like Daryl was quite the chef when it came to cooking his kill.  
  
“Told ya. Already took a shitload of meat over to Merle, but we still have enough left for the next couple of months.”  
  
“That's good. Saves us some cash.”  
  
“Exactly. Might go out more often when the little one is here. Every penny counts right?”  
  
“Yeah.” She nodded and they continued eating their meal in silence. Jarah was finished pretty quickly, she was only able to finish less than half of what was on her plate as Jamie was taking up a lot of space now and was pressing on pretty much every organ. She just kept sipping her water, while Daryl would shoot little glances in her direction while he ate. After a couple of minutes he couldn't keep quiet anymore.  
  
“It was real shitty of ya ta have the birth witch tell me off.” He watched Jarah look up at him, a deep frown marring her beautiful features. “She mighta been right 'bout what she said, but it shoulda come from you, not her.”  
  
“What are you talking about? What do you mean she told you off?”  
  
“Come on, don't play stupid. You told me to come back so she could chew me out.” he saw Jarah's eyes widen and realized that she really had no idea what had happened.  
  
“No hold on, she told me she wanted to talk to you about breathing techniques. What the hell did she say?”  
  
Daryl recounted pretty much every word Stephanie had said to him, the words had burned themselves into his brain and he would never forget them. “You told her 'bout the things I said to ya. Sure ya didn't tell her to set me straight?”  
  
“Very sure! She asked me if I wanted her to talk to you about it, but I very clearly told her that I didn't want that. It wasn't her battle to fight. Shit, I can't believe she did that. Really Daryl, I had no idea she would do that. But that explains why you were so mad. I would have been too.”  
  
Jarah was shocked. Stephanie had clearly overstepped some boundaries. She had no business getting involved in their relationship like that. She was just supposed to listen, maybe give some advice on how the couple could handle all the changes better, but she had no right to talk to Daryl like that when Jarah had told her not to. It was absolutely unacceptable.  
  
“I'll be right back.” Jarah got up from her chair before Daryl could say something else.  
  
“Gotta pee?” To Daryl there was no other excuse to leave the room right now while they were in the middle of talking about their problems.  
  
“No, just give me a minute.” She left the room and Daryl heard the bedroom door close a moment later.  
  
The minute turned into ten minutes while Daryl cleaned off his plate for the second time. Finally he heard the door open again and watched Jarah waddle over to her chair a couple of seconds later.  
  
“Congratulations, Mr. Dixon. You're my doula now.” she sighed while she lowered herself on the chair.  
  
“What? Does that mean...?” Hope and giddiness started to build inside of him when he caught the meaning of her statement.  
  
“Yes, that means I just fired Stephanie. Guess you were right about her. She's fucking unprofessional. Sorry I didn't listen sooner.”  
  
Daryl tried, but he just wasn't able to keep the big smile off of his face at the news.  
  
“Gonna look for someone else?”  
  
“No, what's the point now? It's just a couple more weeks and was she really THAT helpful? Most of the stuff you know, you looked up online after she mentioned some things. She never really explained anything.” Jarah shrugged.  
  
“True. Fucking YouTube was a thousand times more helpful than that bitch.” Daryl scoffed, making Jarah grin at his statement. Daryl had become a huge YouTube fan. Every now and then he'd spent hours on that site, not just looking up pregnancy and birth stuff, but also a lot of hunting and field dressing or motorcycle videos. It was pretty cute to watch him get excited about discovering something new. “Fucking useless that woman, coulda given us both more to work with, other than just sayin' ta keep ya active. I didn't know that standing in the kitchen counted.”  
  
“Neither did I. Had I known I would have told you, trust me.”  
  
“All this shit is her fault. She knew we ain't got no clue about this stuff. If she had done her fucking job, this never would have happened.”  
  
“Maybe it was just our fault. We could have asked more questions or better questions. Asked her to clarify.”  
  
“Don't defend her, Jar. Drives me fucking nuts when you do that. She didn't do her job, plain and simple. This is our first kid, she knows that. It's her job to know that she's gotta specify. Had a bad feelin' about her from the start. Stupid bitch got a thing for feeling superior. Guess you had ta wait and see for yourself, huh?”  
  
“I guess so. What now?”  
  
“We gotta talk this out. Put it behind us. Gotta learn how to talk more.”  
  
“I was afraid you'd say that. But you're right.” She blushed a little and played with the handle of her knife when she continued. “How is it that we can say all this stuff to each other in bed, but when it comes down to telling each other what's going on inside of us, we just can't get the words out most of the time?”  
  
“Asked myself the same thing.” he laughed quietly, “don't know, though.”  
  
“We have to try harder. If we can do it when we have sex, we sure as hell should be able to do it out here as well.”  
  
“Yeah.” he agreed with a nod. “I fucked up. My help just ended up hurting ya more.”  
  
“We both fucked up, Daryl. It wasn't just you. It was both of us. You were mean, yes, but I shouldn't just have taken it and kept my mouth shut. I'd sworn myself years ago that I'd never do something like that again, but you made me fall for you and with that comes the constant fear of losing you and in that moment when you told me to stop complaining, I felt that I had to do it in order for you to stay with me.”  
  
“That's bull though. You know I'll never leave ya. Told ya a dozen times now.”  
  
“Still, the fear will always be there. Are you telling me that you aren't worried about me leaving you?”  
  
Daryl looked down at the table and shrugged. “I am. I just think that you can't possibly love me as much as I love you. Always think you're gonna get tired of me one day.”  
  
“See? You have those fears, too. We both have them and I guess they make us do stupid things sometimes. I think we'll just have to talk about them when they rear their head.” Daryl nodded his agreement and they fell silent for a while. Each one thinking of what to say next.  
  
“I wasn't very nice to you either.” Jarah started talking again after a couple of minutes. “In a way I expected you to just suck it up, too. It's hard to forget that we haven't been together for years and years. We still have a lot to learn about each other and I guess the side of me you met last week surprised you, didn't it?”  
  
“Yeah.” he nodded and searched for the right words. “It's like,... I dunno,... It came out of nowhere. You just changed over night, just like that.” he snapped his fingers. “Didn't know how to deal with it. No matter what shit went down, at the end of the day you were still similin'. Only knew ya being sweet and cute as fuck. Always seeing the funny side of things. And then it was just gone. You got so fucking quiet in the past week. No more smilin', just bein' annoyed. I get why. I understand and I should've handled it better. It just really takes some getting used to. I just got frustrated and pissed off and snapped at ya.”  
  
“And that made me even more of a bitch. It was a vicious cycle. We just kept going round and round, digging ourselves in deeper. And since we both have little to none experience with this kind of thing we just made the wrong calls and now we can only hope to learn from that mistake and do better in the future.”  
  
“I guess. The bitch only made things worse. I was just so pissed of 'cause I thought it was you sending her in to tell me all that shit. If she would have been better at her job, we both could have spared us some pain. Especially you with the walking.”  
  
“Yeah, don't I know it. The job thing, though, Daryl...”  
  
“Should have told you.”  
  
“Yes, you should have. I would have freaked out for a moment, but it would have been better. We could have worked on a solution together. The only thing I kept thinking was that you moved in because of that and ONLY because of that.”  
  
“And that's exactly what I didn't want ya ta think.”  
  
“And you would have achieved that, had you just talked to me about what was going on.”  
  
“I'm sorry.” He slowly reached over and covered her hand with his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “All comes down to talking, don't it?”  
  
“Looks that way. The only think we're not that good at.”  
  
“Gotta get better. Don't wanna go through this shit too often.”  
  
“Me neither.” Jarah smiled and squeezed his hand back. They both watched their hands and fingers play with each other for a while, making each other smile and giggle a little until Daryl shyly looked up at her.  
  
“I miss you.”  
  
“Miss you, too.”  
  
“Wanna move to the couch? Tell me what's been going on with the pain I didn't know about? Gotta give you your belly rub anyway. If you still want me to.”  
  
“Yeah, I still want you to. Just leave the dishes for now and get the oil. I'll change my shirt.”  
  
“Would be easier if you'd just take it off, sweetheart.”  
  
She blushed and shook her head. “No. I keep getting bigger all the time now, I don't feel good naked anymore.”  
  
“You're beautiful, babe.”  
  
“And I'd like you to keep thinking like that, so it's better if you don't see the truth.” she left before he could say anything else, so he went to the bathroom and got the oil from the shelf.  
  
He was waiting on the couch when she got back. She carefully settled back against him as usual and pushed her old T-shirt up to rest just under her breasts.  
  
“I'm kinda sad that you think you gotta hide from me.” He announced quietly once he started to gently rub the oil into her skin.  
  
“I'm not hiding from you. I don't see it that way. I just don't feel good anymore.”  
  
“But you still look the same. It's just your belly growing a bit and that's just normal, nothin' ugly about it.”  
  
Jarah was torn. She hadn't been completely honest with Daryl when she had told him she didn't want to have sex anymore. The only thing she didn't want was to have him inside of her because she was scared it would hurt now and the other thing she didn't want was for him to see her naked. She was still longing for him to touch her and make her feel good, but she couldn't get over her self-consciousness. She closed her eyes and thought about undressing in front of him so he could have access to her body, but the thought made her cringe and at the same time the thought of having his mouth on her body made her wet. Not being able to make up her mind was frustrating as hell.  
  
Daryl was able to sense that she was struggling with something. He knew she still wanted him by the way her skin broke out into goosebumps and her hardened nipples were pushing against the thin fabric of her shirt just from having his hands on her skin and his voice in her ear.  
  
“Wanna know how hot you really are, although you seem to think otherwise?” she gave him the faintest of nods and Daryl carefully took hold of her left hand and guided it behind her back and between their bodies, to rest on the tent his erection had created in his sweatpants. “And ya haven't even touched me, sweetheart.”  
  
“It happens to guys all the time. Hunting gets you like that.” She argued, but kept her hand on his bulge, rubbing her thumb over it a little.  
  
“Never lied to ya, girl. Why would I start now? Hunting gets me in a mood, but you're the only one who can do this ta me.” he spoke through gritted teeth, even that little touch was enough to drive him crazy. He really wasn't lying, she had power over him unlike anyone he had ever met. He was all hers just like she was all his and he would never not want her.  
  
“I'm sorry Daryl, I just can't. Just sitting like this is making my back achy right now. Let's just wait and see if the magnesium pills will work, okay?”  
  
“Sure, don't mean ta pressure you.”  
  
“Even if the pills would work, I don't think I want you inside me anymore until after the baby is here. I'm just too scared that it'll hurt.”  
  
“No problem. There is plenty of other stuff we can do. But only if you feel up to it. No pressure, sweetheart.” he was a little disappointed when she pulled her hand away from his dick, but he understood that she didn't feel like doing anything.  
  
“What's up with that pain in your legs you were talking about?”  
  
“It's pressure from the baby dropping. Feels like I'm all bruised up down there, but only when I'm standing up and walking around or when I try to move my legs when I'm sitting.”  
  
“So pretty much every time that gravity is involved?”  
  
“Exactly. It's like a magnet is pulling him down hard all the time. It's so weird, because if I press my hands against the spots that hurt I don't feel any pain at all, but as soon as I get it an upright position, all bets are off.” she tried to explain what she felt now every time she moved around. She really really hoped the pills would work.  
  
“Fuck, I'm sorry. That really sucks. Didn't know it was that bad.” he sighed and once again wished for a time machine, but this time he wanted to jump about two months ahead in time. “Gotta take things a little slower now. Only do what you feel up to doing. Won't force you to walk if it's too bad.”  
  
“I know. Can we just forget all the crap now and get back to normal?”  
  
“Sounds good. You know the bitch said we should enjoy the next couple of weeks. It will be the last bit of quiet time we will get for a long time. Gotta make the most of it.”  
  
“That's true. Do you have something in mind you wanna do before he arrives?”  
  
Daryl had hoped she would ask that. He was nervous of how she would react, but he hoped she might be happy about the distraction.  
  
“Yeah, there is something. Look, if you don't wanna do it, I'll call it off, but I think it might be good for us to go through with it. Have a little fun, before shit gets real.” He was already apologizing before he even said what he had done.  
  
“Oh God, what have you done?”  
  
“I wasn't out huntin' alone, ya know? Was with a couple friends. They met Nat a couple times now,... they really wanna meet ya, too. Might have agreed to havin' a little party in our backyard next weekend.” His voice got quieter and quieter with every word and then he held his breath, waiting for her to get angry at him.  
  
Jarah took a deep breath when she felt her nerves getting a bit frazzled at the news. She had figured that this moment would come sooner or later. She wouldn't be able to hide out forever.  
  
“Okay.” She mumbled, even though she didn't really feel okay, but that was just her social anxiety that she'd have to overcome.  
  
“Okay?” Daryl was pleasantly surprised. He smiled and kissed her cheek hard. “It's gonna be fine. Nat's gonna be there, Merle's gonna be there and you already met Jimmy and the others are nice, too. And I'm there. If it gets too bad we can just go inside and you can hide out with me or Nat a little, whatever ya need.”  
  
“Sounds good. Maybe it is what we need. But you're in charge of planning and shopping! There's too many black holes in my head right now, I forget too much. Gonna end up without beer if I have to plan this shindig.”  
  
“Fair enough.” he smiled, happy that this whole thing had gone over so well with her.  
  
###### ###### ###### ###### ####### ###### ###### #####  
  
On Wednesday morning she woke up gasping and drenched in sweat after experiencing one of the most disturbing dreams she had ever had. She looked to the right at the alarm clock on her nightstand, noticing that it was almost 6 am and that she had slept almost 7 hours without waking up. She hoped that it was due to the magnesium pills, they had started working and her pain had lessened considerably compared to what it had been like before. Finally she noticed that it was pretty bright in the room for that time of day and looked over to see Daryl propped up on his elbow, smirking at her.  
  
“Musta been some kinda dream, girl.” He leaned towards her and kissed along her jawline. “You're soaked.”  
  
She noticed then that his fingers were lightly resting on top of her panties, feeling the wet fabric underneath his fingertips.  
  
“It was a great dream. We had some great quality time together, until Jackson decided to join the party.” She shuddered when she remembered how insanely weird it had been to have both of the men naked and aroused right in front of her. Daryl tensed up and looked at her with a frown.  
  
“What the hell you dreamin' about him for?”  
  
“Well, not like I can control it, now can I?” She rubbed her face and sighed. “He wanted a goodbye fuck. Think he died?” She looked at him and Daryl relaxed when he saw her conflicted expression.  
  
“Might have. You do care, don't ya? Said you didn't, but you do.” his tone wasn't accusatory, he figured that the whole thing had to be weird for her.  
  
“I'm sad. I don't wanna be, but I am.”  
  
“That's normal, I guess. Got his child in ya. You were married to the guy. Cared for him at one point.”  
  
“Not anymore, though.”  
  
Daryl didn't know what else to say. He was glad the bastard might be out of their lives if her hunch was correct. He rubbed her thigh comfortingly and decided to change the topic.  
  
“You slept good, didn't ya? It's morning already. Think it's the pills?”  
  
“I hope so. God that would be awesome if I'd be able to keep sleeping like this for the next couple of weeks. You sleep better, too when I'm not tossing and turning all the time.”  
  
“Yeah, gotta say, was pretty nice for a change.”  
  
They had to get up soon after, because Daryl had to go to work and on Friday morning Jarah did get a call from her lawyer telling her that Jackson had indeed passed away and explained to her how they would have to proceed in order for her to be able to confirm paternity to get child support from the state. She was glad that Daryl was working when she got the call, because as soon as she had hung up the phone she was overcome with emotion and spend an hour crying. It seemed like it was something she had to get out of her system, because after she had calmed down, she felt oddly at peace. At night she informed Daryl and Nat. Both accepted the news with a nod and a moment of silence, before they went ahead and talked about the plans for the party and Jarah was thankful that they didn't dwell on the topic of her ex. A big and troubling chapter of her life was now closed for good.  
  
###### ###### ###### ####### ###### ###### ###### ######  
  
Saturday afternoon Jarah was a mess of nerves. It wasn't so much meeting the new people, she had made her peace with that, but now she was worried that Daryl's friends might not approve of his new girlfriend. After all she and Nat were very different and Nat had been an instant hit with the group of men.  
  
“Would ya relax already? Nobody's gonna bite your head off.” Daryl growled, but his lips held a smirk when he pulled his very pregnant girlfriend into his arms.  
  
“I'm just scared that I'll say something stupid and look like a total dork and me acting stupid might reflect badly on you. I just don't want you to have to be ashamed for me.”  
  
“Stop! You'll be fine. Jimmy already knows you and he loved ya and so will the rest. Just act normal and it's gonna be alright.”  
  
Jarah was thankful that Jimmy and his wife Patricia were actually the first guests to arrive and she forgot all about her nervousness, when she noticed Patricia's small baby bump.  
  
“Oh my God, Daryl, look. I used to be that tiny ages ago. Jesus I wanna look like that again.” she gasped enthusiastically when she eyed the little swell.  
  
“Soon, Jar.” Daryl smirked and shook hands with Jimmy, while Patricia smiled brightly at Jarah.  
  
“Are you kidding? I wish I was as far along as you are. This morning sickness is killing me. I thought I was only supposed to have it for three months and now I am four months along and it's still going strong.”  
  
The two women didn't need an introduction, they already knew each others names and they instantly started to bond over their pregnancies, much to both Daryl's and Jimmy's delight.  
  
Nat arrived shortly after and stuck close to Jarah's side while all those new people arrived and Daryl introduced them to her. Frank Carter wasn't shy when he arrived, he immediately grabbed both girls in a big hug and grinned down at them.  
  
“Well, those Dixons finally did something right. Thought we might never get to meet you, Jarah. Started to think the boy was making you up.”  
  
Jarah just smiled shyly while Nat went in for seconds and hugged him again. “Told you she is just shy, just like Daryl. Although he's gotten much better with that.”  
  
“That's right. You finally made a man outta that boy. Now where can an old man get a beer?”  
  
“I'll show you, Frank. I'll be right back, sweetie.” Nat kissed her cheek and looped her arm around Frank's and took him out to the back yard. Jarah had no time to prepare herself for the next guest, as Daryl was already calling out to her.  
  
“Jar,... this is Flanery, the new guy from work.” Daryl walked over to her with a guy with blonde shaggy hair and a cheeky smile. He had started working with Daryl last week and apparently they got along well enough, that Daryl invited him over. Daryl had mentioned that the guy was kind of a talker, but that he was nice and good at the job and that they worked well together as a team.  
  
“Sean, actually, nice to meet you.”  
  
“Likewise. Hope you enjoy the party.” Jarah smiled and then her eyes almost popped out of her head, when Sean gave an oblivious Daryl the up-down and smirked.  
  
“I sure will...” Sean then spotted Joey and went over to greet him and Daryl shot Jarah a confused look, because she seemed like she was trying to hold in laughter.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Oh nothing. Nothing. Nice guy, that Sean. Funny how quickly you bonded.”  
  
Daryl shrugged. “He's okay, I guess. Little touchy-feely for a guy, but otherwise okay. Don't really know why I invited him. He just kept talking and talking and before I knew it I told him to come.”  
  
Jarah almost choked on her water, she could barely keep from laughing out loud and Daryl thought she might have gone insane. He didn't get what was so funny. Nat came back in and Jarah told Daryl to go mingle with his friends, while the girls hung back a little, so Jarah could just watch and get a feel for the new situation. They watched Merle, Joey, Daryl and Sean standing around the grill and Sean seemed to entertain everybody with his stories, while Daryl took care of the meat and shrugged off Sean's hand without being too obvious about it, whenever the other guy would casually touch him.  
  
“Funny,” Nat smiled. “I didn't know Daryl had any gay friends.”  
  
“Neither did Daryl.” Jarah laughed. “I think Daryl is not really aware that Sean is hitting on him. He said that he was kinda touchy-feely for a guy.”  
  
Nat burst out laughing. “How can he not notice? It is SO obvious. Oh man, that's gonna be so great to watch.”  
  
“Well let's just hope that Sean actually knows boundaries. If he tries to kiss him, Daryl's gonna punch his lights out.”  
  
The girls continued to giggle their asses off for a while and later when Jarah was more relaxed and saw Sean standing over by the food by himself to refill his plate she went over and grinned. “I guess I don't have to tell you to stay away from my man, right?”  
  
He laughed and nudged her with his elbow. “No worries, dear. I know that guy is as straight as they come. Just havin' a little fun. You are one lucky bitch though. That man is a living and breathing wet dream.”  
  
“I know. I count my blessings every day.”  
  
“Good for you, girl. Now tell me... he an animal in the sack? Cause he looks like he'd be an animal.” Sean winked at her mischievously and Jarah laughed.  
  
“Hell yeah and he's all mine! You can look, but you can't touch.”  
  
“Lucky bitch!” Sean shook his head with a smile. “Lucky bitch.”  
  
##### ###### ##### ###### ##### ###### ###### #######  
  
“Hey stranger.” Nat walked up to Merle when he stood by the grill.  
  
“Keep on walkin', Lil Bit. There ain't nothin' here for ya.” Merle didn't even look in her direction, but it was hard. He'd had enough time to stew over what had happened and she had apologized, but he was too proud to just give in like that.  
  
“Please Merle, I said I was sorry over and over again, what else can I do? All I'm asking for is another chance. I want you in my life.”  
  
“Should've thought of that before ya fucked me over.”  
  
“What is it gonna take to put this behind us and move forward?”  
  
“Guess it's your turn now ta earn your place in ma life.”  
  
“I would love to Merle, but you're not giving me a chance. You won't even look at me.”  
  
He was quiet for a moment, thinking about his next move. He wanted so badly to stay mad at her a little longer, but he missed having her around just as much as she missed being around him.  
  
“Just 'cause I'll give in as soon as I look into those baby blues.” he admitted, making Nat's face light up like a Christmas tree. She boldly reached up and placed her small hands on either side of his face and made him look at her.  
  
“Then give in! Give me a chance. Go out with me. I'll charm your freaking pants off. I'll even go out in the woods with you if that is what it takes, we can go to dinner, to the bar, whatever you want, just please, don't push me away anymore.”  
  
Merle couldn't fight the smirk that broke out on his lips at the tiny woman's enthusiasm.  
  
“How 'bout we start with you makin' me dinner? Want ta earn your place, then you gotta show me some of your kitchen skills first.”  
  
“Deal. Tomorrow night!” she grinned and with a giggle she jumped, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss on Merle's lips, before she let herself plop on her feet again, but wrapped her arms around his middle, gluing herself to his side.  
  
“Ya got yourself a date, Lil Bit.” Merle grinned and wrapped his arm around her, to pull her even closer.  
  
######## ####### ####### ###### ####### ###### ######


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What you are about to read in this chapter was my exact experience when I had my son. I had to write it down in order to get the kind of traumatic experience out of my head and this story was perfect for that. So, welcome to the worst and best day of my life.
> 
> Also, the thing Daryl and Jarah talk about in the first half of the chapter is actually very doable. Back when I had my son and paternity had to be established I asked my social worker if it was legally possible to do such a thing without legal consequences and her answer was yes. My research said that the same rules apply in the USA, if that is not the case, I apologize for that mistake and hope you'll still be able to enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 26  
  
  
  
 **4 weeks later, August 24th, Jarah's due date**  
  
Jarah winced and squeezed Daryl's hand with surprising force when the obstetrician pressed her fingers hard against her cervix. Daryl gently stroked her hair, trying to offer some comfort during the unpleasant exam.  
  
“I'm sorry, Jarah, but nothing has changed. It is still tightly closed. It doesn't look like that baby is coming any time soon.” the doctor announced with a sympathetic expression on her face when she removed her hand from inside Jarah and pulled off her gloves. “I know that's not what you wanted to hear.”  
  
“No, it isn't, but it's not really a surprise. I barely have any Braxton-Hicks-contractions anymore.”  
  
“And you haven't had a single real contraction so far?”  
  
“No nothing, it just went all very quiet in the past two weeks.”  
  
“Maybe it's the quiet before the storm. I might be wrong, this isn't an exact science. Could happen that you get a ton of Braxton-Hicks tomorrow and go into labor during the weekend. It has happened, but I have to judge from what the exam tells me and so far nothing indicates imminent birth.”  
  
“Awesome.”  
  
“Do you want to know the estimated birth weight of your son?” The doctor looked at the screen of her computer, remembering that she had measured the baby during the ultrasound earlier.  
  
“Sure, hit me.”  
  
“Okay the computer says that the estimated weight of your son is between 8lb 6oz and 9lb 11oz.”  
  
“WHAT????” Jarah damn near shrieked in shock and even Daryl gaped at the doctor. “I'm having a freaking ten pounder??? How is that even possible? I am not even THAT big! Neither his father nor I are giants!”  
  
“How about the grandparents?”  
  
“No, oh wait, my father and his brothers are all about 6'4.”  
  
“I guess your son will be taking after his grandfather then.”  
  
“Well then I guess I am having a c-section.” Jarah exclaimed, when panic gripped at her insides.  
  
“No you're not, you can do this.” Daryl tried to calm her down, even though he didn't feel very calm himself. His girl was tiny and he was scared that she was gonna rip like crazy if the boy was that huge.  
  
“Sweet Jesus. God I just want this baby out of me and please don't let him get any bigger.” She brought a trembling hand to her face to pinch the bridge of her nose and sighed. “What now? He was due today...”  
  
“Your son is doing fine, so right now there is no need for any intervention. Most babies don't arrive on their due date, so don't worry. From now on I want to see you every two days for a check up. We have to monitor him and your blood pressure closely, so today is Friday, can't see you on Sunday so please get an appointment for Monday and keep doing what you are doing. And don't worry too much, sometimes the measurements are off.”  
  
Jarah scoffed when she slid off the chair with Daryl's help. Don't worry, easy for her to say, she didn't have a freaking butterball inside of her belly that needed to be given birth to soon. At least she had Daryl who always tried to comfort her and calm her down as much as he possibly could. Things had been better ever since their fight. Jarah had listened to her body more and had told Daryl what she'd needed, what she'd still felt like doing and what had become too much for her to do and he had just followed her lead and encouraged her and cheered her on in his own way.  
  
For the past two weeks he'd practically waited on her hand and foot whenever he was home. He was trying not to let it show, but he was nervous as hell, just like her. Doing things for her distracted him a little and helped him keep his cool for her. Just like her he wasn't nervous that they wouldn't know how to take care of the baby, both of them were instinct-driven and were sure that they'd be able to manage caring for the boy just fine. They were only nervous about the delivery and not knowing when it would happen.  
  
Jarah had just fallen in love with him more and more everyday. He was so helpful and supportive it was almost ridiculous. He was being an absolute sweetheart and even now when she felt like crap after hearing the doctors predictions, she couldn't help but smile adoringly at the top of Daryl's head, when he crouched down in front of her to help her into her panties and flip flops.  
  
“Thanks, honey.” She placed her hand on his cheek and pulled him in for a kiss when he straightened back up. Then she pulled her maxi dress over her head to cover herself back up, a smirk on her lips when Daryl slung her handbag over his shoulder. He wouldn't even let her carry that anymore.  
  
“Ready to go?” He asked and when she nodded he grasped her hand in his and walked out to his truck with her.  
  
###### ####### ####### ####### ###### ####### ########  
  
“Almost ten pounds, huh?” Daryl still couldn't get that number out of his head an hour later. He just kept staring at her belly wondering how such a big baby would even fit in there. Sure, her belly had grown quite a bit in the past month, but she wasn't as huge as other mothers he'd seen. She'd been pretty tiny her whole pregnancy, he just couldn't imagine that the baby would be that big.  
  
“Maybe we should have bought his clothes a size bigger.” he murmured absentmindedly while he rubbed the scruff on his chin with his thumb and index finger.  
  
“Daryl?”  
  
“Hm?”  
  
“Shut up.” She pushed her hand against his shoulder to shove him and even though she wasn't happy, she still sent him a little wink to show him that she wasn't pissed at him for saying things that were helping to scare the crap out of her.  
  
“Sorry. If you want my opinion, I think that machine is way off.”  
  
“Much better, thank you. Can you hand me my laptop, please? I wanna look something up.”  
  
Daryl carefully lifted her legs from his lap so he could get off the couch and got her computer from the dining table. He sat back down and pulled her legs back over his lap and handed her the laptop.  
  
“What are you looking for?”  
  
“Ways to get these freaking contractions started. I am not doing this another week. I am so done with being pregnant.”  
  
“Didn't your doc say that laying in a bathtub could help?”  
  
“Yup, but I don't really feel like swimming in amniotic fluid, so no to that.” She shuddered when she remembered something Nat's mother had told her. How her water was green and smelly when it broke and just the thought of that made Jarah gag. She had already taken precautions three weeks ago. Nat had brought her water-absorbent mats for the bed from work, so if her water broke at night the bed wouldn't be ruined and neither she nor Daryl would wake up soaked in the stuff. She just didn't get why all aspects of giving birth had to be so icky and unpleasant.  
  
“Maybe a shower would work, too.” Daryl suggested. Maybe he could get under there with her, he thought. They really hadn't had sex in the past month and he felt like an addict on cold turkey that just wouldn't stop. She had helped him out a couple of times, but wouldn't let him do anything for her, even though she was yearning for him as well. She hadn't been able to overcome her body issues. Daryl had so much pent up sexual tension and frustration inside of him, sometimes he felt like he would burst at the seams. He didn't just miss her body and getting down and dirty with her, he also missed that kind of intimacy and that kind of connecting with her. That she didn't trust him enough to show herself to him anymore hurt him a little. He really tried not to push her, but sometimes the guy in him couldn't help himself and he tried to coax her into a little sexy time. Although she never gave in, Jarah didn't mind that he tried, he was a man and had needs after all. It also helped that he wasn't pushy about it and that he didn't show his frustration when she once again told him no.  
  
“I take showers every day, so I don't think that it would work.” She said quietly while she focused on her web search.  
  
“Right.” Daryl nodded and traced little patterns on her smooth legs with his fingertips. “You know, I've been thinking about the middle name thing again.”  
  
“Why? I already decided not to call him Dean.” Jarah was confused as to why he would bring this up months after she had decided not to give him her late ex-husband's middle name.  
  
“I know, just hear me out.” He blushed a little, even though he didn't really know why, when he was about to reveal what he had been thinking about. An idea had just hit him one day when he'd been out in the woods with Merle and he couldn't stop thinking about it. He hoped she would love it as much as he did. “How ya like the name Hunter?”  
  
“For his middle name?” Jarah had to fight hard to keep herself from crying. She was touched that Daryl spent so much time thinking about her baby. She figured that this specific name suggestion was, in a sense, Daryl trying to be a part of Jamie. “James Hunter Armstrong? Hmmm, I kinda like that.”  
  
“Yeah?” Daryl perked up noticably, a happy grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Think we could use that?”  
  
“Definitely. The more I think about it, the more I like it. It's a good strong name. Good job, baby!”  
  
Daryl felt his chest swell with pride. He'd picked the boy's middle name and he'd cut the cord. And one day he'd make him a real Dixon, he just had to keep working on Jarah's opinion on the matter.  
  
“Been thinking 'bout something else.”  
  
“Yeah? What?” She flicked her gaze towards him for a second before she looked back at the screen of her laptop, splitting her attention between Daryl and her research.  
  
“Why don't we just put my name down on the birth certificate. Under father, I mean.”  
  
“Because I'm pretty sure we'd be committing a crime?” Jarah coughed out a laugh. Daryl's enthusiasm about wanting to be a father was just as cute as it was heartwarming.  
  
“Why? If I say I'm the daddy and you say I'm the daddy, who would ever check if it's true or not?”  
  
“You do have a point there, Daryl, BUT, my lawyer knows and Jackson's lawyer knows that it's his kid. The divorce agreement had Jackson agreeing on paying child support, so he pretty much acknowledged that Jamie is his.”  
  
“So? He is gone now and you could just say that you cheated on him after all, that he's mine.”  
  
“I could do that, BUT why should I waive my right to child support from the state? We need that money, baby.”  
  
“It's not that much anyway and you know that I can provide for the two of ya. We can manage. We talked about this, one day imma adopt him anyway and we won't be gettin' that child support no more. Ta hell with a couple hundred bucks. Would be much easier if we just put me down as the dad. Think the state will be mad and lock us up 'cause they don't have to fork over that money every month? We'd be doin' 'em a fucking favor!”  
  
“Baby, I know, okay? I do, but fact is, I still don't have a new job and we need that money. We can't live on your paycheck alone, it won't work. As long as I am out of work we can't get married and can't let you adopt him.”  
  
“How long you wanna drag this out? Your lawyer said that Social Services prefer us to be married a whole year before the adoption. And the adoption process takes another 120 days. The kid's gonna be in pre-school before he's legally mine. What if something happened to you and they won't let him stay with me, because he ain't mine?”  
  
“Honey, we've been over this. The people at the hospital think this is Jackson's kid. What if someone rats us out?”  
  
“What's the worst that could happen? We say it's mine and the worst they can do when someone starts investigating is make us take a paternity test. But even if it says he ain't mine, what do ya think they'll do? He's mine, I take care of him, provide for him and they don't have to pay us a single penny. You're too scared, nothing's gonna happen.”  
  
“Jesus, Daryl...”  
  
“What? Ya haven't filed the papers with the state yet. Just don't. No lawyer has ta get involved. If we both say he's ours, nobody ain't gonna think twice about it. You got a couple more days ta think that through. I suggest you do that. Seriously. We ain't hurtin' nobody by lyin' about that.”  
  
Jarah thought about it for a moment. He did have a point, why would anybody try to prosecute them? The biological father was dead, she wouldn't try to get child support so no lawyers or courts would be involved. She didn't have a problem with telling people that she cheated if that was the only obstacle in making people believe that Daryl was the father. Jackson's parents already let her know that they have no interest in ever meeting the child, because just like Jackson at the end, they suspected that he wasn't his. He would be Daryl's and nobody would be the wiser.  
  
“Here.” She handed Daryl the laptop. “You try to find similar cases online. Look for cases with the wrong father on the birth certificate and such. I'm making dinner.”  
  
“I'm on it!” Daryl declared and eagerly took the laptop from her. The website she'd been looking at was still opened and his eyes skimmed over the natural ways to help induce labor. Raspberry Leaf Tea, nipple stimulation, walking, sex. His heart started pounding and hope ignited inside of his body. They had already tried walking and the tea. God he hoped she would wanna try out the other two options.  
  
###### ###### ####### ###### ####### ###### ######  
  
“Find anything?” Jarah asked when she brought their dinner over to the table where Daryl was taking a seat.  
  
“Yeah, we ain't got anything ta worry 'bout other than some strange looks from a couple a nurses. His grandparents think he's mine anyway so they ain't gonna come runnin'. Neither you or the boy were in your ex's will, his paternity has never been officially established and as long as we both say he's mine, he's fucking mine. Your lawyer ain't involved anymore, he'll have forgotten about ya and step-parent adoption in a year. We tell people he's mine and that's it. Why would they doubt it? And who would take the fucking time to launch an investigation? The only problem would be if you'd kick me out one day and go after me for child support and I'd claim that he isn't mine after all and we both know that ain't gonna happen anyway, right?”  
  
“Right.” she mumbled while she stared at her plate in deep thought. It sounded too good to be true, but it was also only logical. Nobody would really care. They'd tell their friends what's going on so they'll know what to say should anyone ever ask, but other than that, nobody would ever doubt that he is Daryl's kid. Still she wished she could call her lawyer and ask, but that was not an option. The more she thought about it the more at ease she was with the idea. Thousands of those cases were on TV every day. Women who didn't know who the daddy was and put down the wrong one on the birth certificate. No biggie. It would have been different had Jackson survived, but like this? Nobody gave a fuck and the state would thank them for saving them money.  
  
“So? What ya thinking?” Daryl interrupted her train of thought and made her look up at him.  
  
“I think I wanna sleep on this for a night or two.”  
  
“Fair enough. Least it' not a 'no' anymore.” Daryl was satisfied with that answer for today.  
  
“No,... not a 'no' anymore.” She also wanted to talk it over with Nat and get her opinion on it before she made a final decision.  
  
###### ####### ###### ###### ####### ##### ########  
  
The next morning Daryl left to do some grocery shopping and Jarah took the opportunity to call her best friend and tell her about the plan Daryl had come up with.  
  
“You guys should totally do that. Daryl is right.”  
  
“Really? Don't you think there might be repercussions?”  
  
“Nonsense. Everybody is just gonna think that you cheated on Jackson and that's it. And hell, people will just be happy for the kid that he has a father who gives a shit about him. Who cares whether he's the bio dad or not? Do you seriously think that once you left that hospital with your son that anyone who works there is gonna spend another minute thinking about you? Jackson wasn't the chief of surgery or anything. He was just one of many stressed out doctors that worked there. Bottom of the food chain. He was well-liked among his colleagues, but those colleagues work in the ER and not in the maternity ward. You worry too much. Nobody is gonna give a flying fuck about who you put down as the dad on the birth certificate. Curious maybe and they'll have some gossip about you cheating, but nobody's gonna tell you to your face.”  
  
“So you think we should go ahead and do it?”  
  
“Absolutely, sweetie. Just make it official. Daryl is already doing so much for the little one, it would actually be kind of unfair to not do it. Thinking about it, you would break my heart if you decided against it. Daryl deserves that recognition. Seriously.”  
  
“You're right, he does deserve it if he wants it so badly. I'm just worried about legal issues.”  
  
“Legal, schmegal, there won't be any issues. Just grow some balls, do it and don't worry about it.” Nat told her forcefully and Jarah knew that there would be no more discussion. Nat had said everything she was gonna say on the matter and she expected Jarah to take her advice.  
  
“Alright, alright. I got it.” Jarah felt better, now that she had a second opinion.  
  
“So jumping around on the bed yet to get the little munchkin out?” Nat laughed, even though she felt for her friend. She knew that Jarah was just exhausted and wanted to get that whole thing over with.  
  
“I would if I wasn't so worried about falling on my ass. I already ate pineapple and drank my tea and made my food extra spicy and bounced on my exercise ball, but nothing happens. Not even a Braxton-Hicks.”  
  
“You gotta fuck the living daylights out of Daryl. That'll do the trick.” Nat giggled and listened to Jarah's deep sigh.  
  
“Not that I wouldn't want to, but that would involve me getting naked.”  
  
“So? Sweetie, I saw you half naked a couple of days ago when we got you that new dress. You look great. You don't have any stretch marks, your boobs look fantastic, your skin is fucking glowing, sorry but personally I think it's the best you've ever looked. I am surprised that Daryl isn't just tying you up to have his way with you. He's got the discipline and the patience of a fucking saint, I tell you.”  
  
“I feel like a beached whale.”  
  
“It's your call, sweetie, but I have three aunts and a sister and for all of them it was sex that worked. I think nipple play alone can do the trick. That wouldn't be too bad, would it? You could stay dressed, just wear a loose top and he can pull down the straps to reach your boobies. Let the poor guy have some fun and let yourself have some fun. You'll be going without for six more weeks, honey and if you're anything like my sister, you'll want to get back on that horse like a week after the baby's been born and then you'll have to wait until the doctor gives you the green light and that's when you'll wish you would have enjoyed the time you have right now more.”  
  
“Just admit it, you love Daryl more than you love me.” Jarah laughed jokingly. She loved how much Nat adored her partner and it didn't hurt that she had really grown to love Merle just as much, now that he and Nat were going steady. They were a big, crazy, happy family.  
  
“I love you both the same, but sometimes he just has more sense than you. And come on, he is crazy about you, he laughed one time and I am sure not at how you looked, but because the situation was funny. Give him a break, he is amazing. Don't torture yourself, you said yourself you still want him, so just get creative and find a way to do it with your clothes on if you are really that adamant about not being naked. Which is silly by the way.”  
  
“Yes, I got it, I am being silly. I heard it all before. I just can't help feeling the way I feel. I can't wait to get back to my old body.”  
  
“I understand, pretty sure everybody feels that way. Honey, I'm sorry but I gotta run. I am working the late shift and have to get some stuff done before I go in. I'll talk to you later, alright?”  
  
“Alright. Thanks for listening.”  
  
“No problem. Tell Daryl I said hi!”  
  
“I will!”  
  
They hung up and Jarah got on her laptop to do some more research on the birth certificate thing. She didn't want to leave a single stone unturned before she gave Daryl her final answer. After three hours she finally found something that put her mind at ease. She found some cases of women that had knowingly put down their new partner as the father. Jarah was scared that someone would make them have a DNA-test to establish paternity, but what the women reported was that as long as Daryl says its his kid and signs an acknowledgment of paternity, nobody would ask any questions. Those DNA tests were mostly done when a parent goes to court for child support and custody stuff.  
  
When Daryl came back from running their errands she closed her laptop and smiled.  
  
“Let's do it!”  
  
Daryl perked up and dropped the bags on the table. “Sex?”  
  
“No not sex, get your mind out of the gutter. Putting your name on the birth certificate. Let's do it.”  
  
Daryl's jaw almost hit the floor. He had tried not to get his hopes up about the whole thing and he had been fully prepared to do some more convincing, because it was something he really wanted. He was just thinking about the big picture, he wanted them to be a real family and should, God forbid, anything happen to his girl, he didn't want the boy to end up in the system, torn out of the only home he will ever know. Daryl had led a shitty enough life as a kid and he wanted the exact opposite for Jamie, so not thinking about the worst case scenarios and not prepare for them to get the most positive outcome for his family, was not an option.  
  
“Gotta ask, girl. You serious? You ain't fucking with me?”  
  
“Dead serious.” She smiled and reached for his hands to pull him closer. “I did some more research and I actually found some cases just like ours and there weren't any repercussions. You'll just have to sign an acknowledgment of paternity and we'll be good.”  
  
“Told ya!” he grinned and pressed a big kiss to her lips and she giggled when she felt him grin, because he wasn't able to hide his happiness about her decision.  
  
“Yes you told me, but can you blame me for wanting some reassurance after the year I've had?”  
  
“Nah, it's all good. That's settled then, yeah?”  
  
“Yes, absolutely.” She smiled and pressed a kiss to his t-shirt clad chest before she looked through one of the bags he'd brought in.  
  
“Sooo, still a no on fucking?” he smirked and ducked with a chuckle when she threw a pack of paper towels at him.  
  
######## ######## ######## ####### ####### ######  
  
Another three appointments with her obstetrician later and it was late Friday afternoon again and Jarah was waiting for Daryl to come home. He didn't even bother with saying hello. The door opened and he looked at her expectantly.  
  
“And?”  
  
“I'm sorry Jarah, but once again, nothing has changed. He is not ready to come out.” Jarah recounted the doctor's words they both knew by heart by now.  
  
“Seriously? Nothing?”  
  
“No, my cervix softened a little apparently, but other than that, nothing.”  
  
“Fuck!” Daryl summed it up with one word. She was 7 days past her due date now and they were starting to get worried about the doctors wanting to induce labor at some point in the near future. “So another appointment on Monday?”  
  
“Yes, another appointment on Monday. One more chance for her to torture my cervix. That shit hurts like hell, I just want it all to stop.” She sighed deeply. She was more than done with all this stuff. Even her bones felt tired, sleep had become near impossible with everything being sore and achy from all the pressure from the waist down. She got up from the couch to sit with him at the table where his late lunch was waiting. “There, sit and eat, you'll need your energy this weekend.”  
  
“Why?” He frowned, because as far as he knew they had nothing planned except laying around on the couch, watching TV and wait for the damn contractions to start.  
  
“You are going to fuck me six ways to Sunday to get this baby out of me!” she yawned when she carefully lowered herself on a chair.  
  
Daryl's whole body stood at attention within a second.  
  
“Really?” was what he said, 'finally!' was what he thought. “Thought ya didn't want me to see you naked anymore?”  
  
“Oh please, I am way past caring right now, I just want this baby out. You could laugh at me all the way til you're done and I wouldn't care anymore. All I care about is for this hell to end.” She knew she wasn't exactly giving off the sexy vibe, but like she said, she didn't care about anything anymore.  
  
Daryl didn't waste any time. He started shoveling his food into his mouth while his mind already worked on coming up with the best positions. He was done eating in under five minutes and he hadn't even swallowed his last bite when he got up and motioned for her to follow suit.  
  
“C'mon girl, we're taking a shower.” he knew he had to try to relax her first before he would be able to get her to “relax”. Also it would be a great way for him to reacquaint himself with her body. But after ten minutes of letting his hands glide over her wet body under the stream of warm water, he sensed that he was failing miserably. Her head wasn't in the game at all and her body just wasn't responding. They both got frustrated. That wasn't how Daryl had imagined their possibly last time together before the little one was born. He'd imagined one more night full of hot, passionate sex, waking the neighbors and marking each others bodies in a way that would still be visible for days.  
  
“You know what, let's just try laying down. I need to get off my feet.” Jarah said, her tone defeated and Daryl wanted to smack himself. Of course this wouldn't work, standing up is uncomfortable for her, he should have thought of that.  
  
They got out and dried off and went into the bedroom. They spent a long time just cuddling naked under the covers. Daryl was spooning her from behind and just let his right hand carress her body everywhere he could reach. When he finally felt her relax he softly kissed along her shoulder blade and bit down gently on the nape of her neck. He wouldn't have been able to describe the happy feeling that went through him to save his life, when Jarah released the first moan purely out of pleasure, for the first time in 6 weeks. He knew he had missed that sound, he just hadn't know HOW much he had missed it. It was damn near electrifying to hear it again.  
  
He gently raked his blunt nails down her back, making her arch and hiss, drawing some more of those delicious sounds from her that he had missed so much. His hand then slid up over her sides to palm her full breast, rubbing his thumb over the hardening tip. He was silently saying goodbye, Jarah had told him that they would soon go back to their old, smaller size as she had decided not to nurse at all and the nurses at the hospital would give her pills a couple hours after giving birth to prevent the milk from coming in.  
  
“Can you do that for a while?” Jarah moaned when he rolled her nipple between his thumb and index finger.  
  
“Sure, whatever you need, sweetheart.” Daryl kept caressing her breasts and manipulating her nipples, while he nuzzled and kissed her shoulder and this time he found himself drifting off in his head. Now it was just a matter of days until she had to give birth and this new chapter in their life would start. He was going to be a freaking Daddy. He was excited, but also nervous. It was silly, because Jamie wouldn't know for years, maybe never that Daryl wasn't his biological father, but Daryl was nervous that Jamie wouldn't accept him. That the baby would somehow sense that he's not the one who created him and would not wanna be held by him.  
  
When Daryl came back to his senses and remembered what they had been doing, he found that his hand had stilled and was now just holding her right breast in his hand. He let out a quiet laugh, when he noticed that Jarah was snoring a little, she had actually fallen asleep. It wasn't that much of a surprise, she was dead on her feet all the time now, she was getting a little weaker every day. It looked like the whole sex thing just wasn't supposed to happen right now. Sleep was probably a much better idea anyway. They'd both need their strength. Her even more than him.  
  
###### ###### ###### ####### ####### #######  
  
'Sorry, Jarah... Sorry, Jarah,... Sorry Jarah.”  
  
That was all Jarah heard at the next two appointments. She was just a hair's breadth away from reaching her breaking point. On her Wednesday appointment she was 12 days past her due date. Daryl had taken her to the doctor for her check-up after work and watched the doctors face closely when she checked Jarah's cervix for any progress. His hope died down when the woman shook her head slightly.  
  
“It's soft, but it's still very much closed. I don't know what to tell you. Please get dressed and have a seat, we have to talk about how to proceed.”  
  
Jarah's heart dropped into her stomach and she wanted to cry. She knew what the doctor was implying. Inducing labor. Her worst nightmare. She was seriously starting to consider a c-section again, but she knew she wouldn't be able to hold her baby for at least a day and she wouldn't be able to run around and take care of him properly while she healed, so to her it wasn't a real option. Daryl helped her get dressed again and together they took a seat in front of the doctors desk in her office.  
  
“This is not working for you anymore, Jarah. The longer we wait, the weaker you will get and you won't have any strength left to give birth naturally. I know you are scared of inducing, but it might be our only option. It's 14 days on Friday. I don't think you will last another week. The human body can do and take a lot obviously, but it still has its limits.”  
  
“Can we please just wait another couple of days? The weekend? Please, I really don't want to be induced, my whole pregnancy that has been the worst thing imaginable, I really don't want to do it until I really have to.”  
  
“Jarah, you really have to NOW.” The doctor told her seriously. “The baby is doing fine, but you are not doing fine. Every day is gonna be a little worse than the day before. What are you so scared of?”  
  
“Induced labor is much more painful and intense than natural labor and I'm scared of not being able to handle the pain and getting panic attacks and hyperventilating and checking out, that can't be good or helpful during delivery at all.”  
  
“It will be alright, Jarah.”  
  
Daryl watched his girl shake her head and sighed internally. He knew she was terrified of being induced, but what the doctor said was also true. She was getting weaker and more exhausted every day, he was able to see it as soon as he laid eyes on her in the morning. She was hurting all over and couldn't sleep for more than two hours at a time. But whatever Jarah wanted to do, he would support her and have her back.  
  
“What do you wanna do, sweetheart?” He asked while he squeezed her hand comfortingly.  
  
“I wanna wait.” Jarah replied and Daryl swore he saw the doctor roll her eyes.  
  
“Alright,... If that's what you want. If he isn't here by Friday, I'll give you the weekend, but if he isn't on his way on Sunday, Jarah, you will have to go to the hospital on Monday. That's 17 days past your due date then, seriously Jarah, on Monday the doctors will start induction as that can also take up to 4 days for the drugs to work. And I suggest you try any natural way to induce there is. Take warm baths, walk as much as you can, maybe some spicy food, sexual intercourse, anything to give that little boy of yours a little shove.”  
  
So Daryl and Jarah went home and tried having sex one more time, as it was pretty much the only option they had left. It was mostly uncomfortable for her and in turn not that enjoyable for Daryl either, but it was still nice to be close and share some intimacy. For the first time during their relationship Daryl really had to work hard to give her an orgasm and weirdly enough, he kind of enjoyed the challenge. She had been so sensitive during their previous time together, that it had been almost too easy. Being able to coax her body into a climax in her current state filled him with tons of purely male pride. Especially since he wasn't allowed to use his mouth. She didn't want his face anywhere near her genitals, in case her water decided to break after all.  
  
She fell asleep right after and woke up two hours later when she felt a strong Braxton-Hicks-contraction tightening her belly. Then another. And another. And another. She counted 16 contractions within 20 minutes. When she was sure that they had stopped she woke up Daryl and had sex with him again. Much to her dismay nothing happened after the second time, but they kept trying on Thursday night. Friday morning she had another wave of contractions and when the doctor examined her in the afternoon, Jarah felt that something was different.  
  
It was quite painful and her eyes started watering when she squeezed Daryl's hand with a whimper, but the doctor was able to penetrate the cervical opening a little bit with her pinky finger.  
  
“This looks good, Jarah. Your cervix has opened up a little bit. I can't promise anything, but it might happen during the weekend. I talked to Dr. Kirkwood from the hospital and if you haven't given birth by Sunday night, she expects you to be there at 7 am Monday morning to induce labor. Okay?”  
  
“Guess I don't have another choice, now do I?”  
  
Jarah went home and once more tried every trick in the book and she and Daryl had sex 6 more times during the weekend, but it was to no avail.  
  
##### ####### ###### ###### ####### ###### ####### ######  
  
Monday, September 10th, 17 days past her due date  
  
Monday morning when Daryl's alarm sounded through their bedroom at 5.30 am, nothing had happened. She had to admit defeat. Daryl turned off the alarm and instantly felt like shit. He knew what had to happen now. Thank God he could be there for her. Daryl's boss had given him the day off, after he had explained the situation. Being a new dad himself, he knew how important it was for Daryl to be there for his girl and he had told Daryl that he could stay home Monday and Tuesday without losing pay, but on Wednesday he had to go back, because another guy was taking some vacation days.  
  
He looked over at his girl and his heart broke. She wasn't crying, but she was pale, with deep dark circles underneath her eyes. Her hands were slightly shaking and her eyes were full of despair. He could feel the fear radiating off of her. He took her hand that was cold as ice and guided it to his mouth, gently kissing the back of it.  
  
“I'm sorry, baby. We tried everything, but he's too stubborn. He needs another kinda push.” he murmured against her skin, his voice still thick with sleep.  
  
Jarah didn't respond. She couldn't, her mind was blank.  
  
She also didn't talk when they had breakfast. Well he had breakfast, she wasn't able to eat anything and she was quiet on their way to the hospital. She was quiet when she was admitted and the doctor examined her one last time before explaining what they were about to do. She didn't make a sound, didn't even wince, when the doctor placed an IV into the back of her right hand to administer a drug called Pitocin.  
  
They pushed the IV-stand into Daryl's hand and told them to walk around a bit. By 8 am they had been walking around for half an hour, while the drug steadily dripped into her body through the IV. Jarah had still been quiet, but suddenly she felt a cramp tightening her belly. It was a little worse than a menstrual cramp and she breathed in deeply to manage the pain.  
  
“What's going on? It startin' to work?” Daryl looked at her concerned when she stopped walking and held her belly.  
  
“Yeah. Shit, that's not gonna be fun, I can tell you that right now.” She took another deep breath when the pain passed and started walking again.  
  
They walked for another ten minutes, when she stopped again and Daryl was able to tell that this contraction was more painful than the first, when she released a little moan. He had to quell the rising panic inside his own body, he had to be strong for her, but he already knew that seeing her in pain like that would be a bitch.  
  
“Maybe we should go back.” he suggested and gently turned her into the other direction when she nodded.  
  
Five minutes later, she stopped again. Her face was ashen, her eyes were wide and she gripped his arm hard.  
  
“Another one? Jar? Don't hold your breath. You gotta breathe. Girl?”  
  
And then all hell broke loose. Her knees buckled and she threw up in the middle of the hallway. She felt the baby drop even more, like someone had grabbed his head and yanked him down and it made her vision blur. She only saw black dots and was sure that she was about to pass out, but then pain, so intense she couldn't help but scream, tore through her body. It felt like a wave of burning and pulling pain, like someone was pulling on a nerve ending and wave of pain rose higher and higher until it reached its sheer unbearable peak for half a minute and then finally ebbed back down.  
  
She wanted to take a deep breath in relief when the pain stopped, but unfortunately, it didn't stop. The next contraction started right away without a break and she forgot everything around her, the pain was all-consuming. She distantly registered Daryl yell for a nurse while he tried to hold her up and she felt herself being moved around, but she had no idea what was happening. Another contraction took hold of her body and after that, another. After the fifth she was already drenched in sweat and barely coherent, when she finally got a little break.  
  
“Five contractions right on top of each other. She needs to be in a delivery room, NOW!” the nurse that had pushed the wheelchair they had managed to put Jarah in, while Daryl took care of the IV stand, was shouting at the midwife who just shook her head.  
  
“She can't. All the delivery rooms are occupied.”  
  
“The fuck do ya mean all the rooms are fucking occupied? Ya told her ta come in, why ain't there any room now?” Daryl couldn't believe his ears. He was in a panic, so much so, that his voice came out pretty high-pitched. He thought he'd been prepared for everything, but what was happening now was just a whole other ball game.  
  
“Just take her to one of the CTG rooms. She's just gotta wait til a room is free again.” The midwife told them nonchalantly and pointed them towards the second door on the left, while Jarah had started moaning loudly again. The next round of contractions had started.  
  
The nurse pushed her wheelchair into the room and pulled Jarah out of the chair. The pregnant woman held on to the edge of the cot for dear life, while pain wracked her body with a vengeance.  
  
“I have to get back. Good luck to you.” The nurse smiled sympathetically at Daryl, but he couldn't care less. He couldn't believe that they left them to their own devices in that room. He felt utterly helpless and didn't know what to do other than to gently rub Jarah's lower back while she moaned and cried in pain. After another round of five contractions she got a little breather again. Daryl took the opportunity to try to talk to her.  
  
“Sweetheart, can I do anything? What do you need?”  
  
“I need to go home, Daryl. This isn't right. It's not supposed to be like this.” She was sobbing, she was completely overwhelmed by the pain. She knew that it would be bad, she had tried to prepare in her mind, but she never ever could have prepared for this. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She never would have thought that anything would hurt that much.  
  
Daryl cradled her face in his strong, warm hands and kissed some of the tears away.  
  
“I know, babe. I know.” he couldn't say more, because the next round of contractions started hitting her and Daryl cursed inwardly. That couldn't have been more than 30 seconds of a break. Her fingers were digging painfully into his biceps, but he took it all, because he knew that she was in way more pain than he would probably ever be. He forced himself to forget about his own panic and fears and to focus on her needs. He knew that massages helped a lot of women with the pain, so he positioned himself behind her and rubbed her lower back and told her to breathe deeply into her belly, while she took the pain.  
  
Jarah didn't even feel him touching her back. The pain overshadowed everything else. At least she heard when he'd told her to breathe. She always forgot, instinctively holding her breath and clenching her muscles when the pain got more and more, but she honestly couldn't tell if the breathing even helped at all. Her world only consisted of pain, pain and pain right now.  
  
An hour later they were finally ushered into the delivery room. Daryl helped undress her and put the hospital gown on her before he lifted her onto the bed. Laying down was some relief for Jarah. Her legs just wouldn't hold her up anymore. The midwife examined her and sighed.  
  
“She hasn't dilated at all yet.”  
  
“Meaning?” Daryl looked at the woman questioningly.  
  
“This is gonna take a while.” And with that she left the room and Daryl and Jarah were alone again. Now that she was laying down Daryl was no longer able to rub her back. The only thing he could do was hold her hand and tell her to breathe.  
  
After another hour the contractions seemed to get even stronger. Daryl was able to see it on the fetal monitor. The number just climbed and climbed and climbed until it peaked for about 30 seconds and then slowly decreased only to pick right back up. Jarah couldn't catch a break, the contractions always came in rounds of four or five before she got a break of 30 seconds to a minute. That was the nightmare she had been afraid of and everything Stephanie had told her and what she had read online about induced labor was true. It was hell on earth and she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it much longer. The midwife came to check again and just shook her head at Daryl before she left. Jarah still hadn't dilated after two hours of insane contractions.  
  
During hour 3 of labor she started passing out between the rounds of contractions and during hour 4 she couldn't stand Daryl touching her anymore. This was not what they had both imagined what it would be like. She had hoped to be able to move around and get things going a little faster, but the pain was debilitating. Laying down and take it was all she could do, while Daryl was now completely sidelined. He could only watch his girl suffer and it tore his heart to little pieces.  
  
After 6 hours of labor Jarah was begging for an epidural, hell Daryl was begging for them to give her one, he knew she wouldn't be able to take much more AND have any strength left to push, but Dr. Kirkwood who had come in to check on Jarah's progress declined.  
  
“I'm sorry, we can't give you an epidural yet. You are only 3 cm dilated. At this pace the narcotics would be in your system for too long. You have to hold out a little longer.”  
  
“How's she supposed to hold out longer? The fucking drugs you're pumping into her are killing her! Can't ya give her something to make it a little easier?”  
  
“I'm sorry Mr. Dixon, but right now all we can do is wait. Just buzz the nurse if you need anything.” They were left alone again and Daryl resumed his place sitting next to Jarah's head, gently stroking her forehead when she was passed out, as she didn't want him to touch her while she was suffering through her contractions. He wished Nat or even Merle were here, he could use some moral support as well, but Merle wasn't off until 5 pm and Nat had to work until 9 pm that day.  
  
At 6pm and after ten hours of labor Jarah was still only at 3 cm dilated and the only times she was coherent she was begging Daryl to either give her painkillers or shoot her with his crossbow.  
  
“I'm sorry sweetheart. If I could take away your pain, trust me, I would. I have to use the bathroom. You gonna be okay alone for a couple of minutes?” He hated to have to leave her by herself, but he couldn't just go piss in the corner or soil his pants.  
  
“Yeah, go ahead.” she panted, knowing that it didn't make much of a difference during her contractions whether she was alone or not.  
  
Daryl left the room and was surprised to see Merle waiting outside.  
  
“It's bad, huh? Heard her screamin'.” His older brother greeted him and Daryl slumped against the wall with a deep sigh.  
  
“It's hell, bro. She ain't dilatin'. It's been ten fucking hours. They ain't giving her nothin' for the pain either. She's passing out all the time. Don't know what to do, man.”  
  
“Just be there. All ya can do. I'll be out here all night if I have ta. Holler if ya need anythin'.” Merle slapped his hand down on Daryl's shoulder and his baby brother gave Merle a grateful nod before he went to the restroom to relieve himself.  
  
###### ####### ###### ######## ######## ######## ########  
  
After 12 hours of labor the fetal monitor suddenly started beeping frantically. The midwife burst in and checked the machine and the transducers attached to Jarah's belly. Then she buzzed the nurse and Daryl got scared when the atmosphere in the room turned frantic.  
  
“The fuck is going on?”  
  
He didn't get an answer, the midwife didn't acknowledge him at all and when the nurse popped her head through the door, the midwife shouted. “Get Dr. McIntyre.”  
  
“Hey, why do you need the doctor. What's going on? What's that alarm?”  
  
Jarah started moaning again and he instinctively grabbed her hand, he needed the connection, because he felt that something was wrong.  
  
“We aren't getting a heartbeat from the baby.” The midwife informed him and Daryl's heart sank.  
  
“Shit,...” he looked at Jarah, who wasn't even aware of what was going on. He kissed the back of her hand and pressed it against his forehead, sending a quick prayer to whoever might be listening. “You're doing so good, sweetheart. You're so strong. I have no idea how you do it. I would have died by now. You're amazing, girl. I'm so proud of you. Everything's gonna be fine.” The words flowed out of his mouth over and over, as they had the past four hours. He didn't know if she heard him or if his presence was any help at all, but he tried his best. He wished he could do more and he hoped to God that this torture wasn't in vain and that their baby boy would be fine.  
  
The doctor finally entered the room and Daryl hated him from the start. Due to a shift change this was a new doctor that they hadn't met. He looked to be about 40 years old, bald and he looked more like a professional body builder than a doctor. He talked to the midwife and the nurse before he turned his attention to Daryl and Jarah.  
  
“Alright, we can't monitor the baby externally anymore. I'm gonna pop the bag now and place an electrode on the scalp of your baby so we can monitor him internally.”  
  
He didn't ask for consent, he just turned around and put some gloves on, while Daryl stared at him with his brows knit in confusion.  
  
“How you gonna do that? The baby is still inside her!”  
  
“Yeah, I know.” The doctor looked at Daryl with a sarcastic smile on his face and the hunter just wanted to strangle him. He wasn't comfortable with a male doctor and under different circumstances he was sure Jarah wouldn't have wanted that guy as her doctor either. Daryl turned back to Jarah and almost fell off his chair, when a bone-chilling scream emanated from her mouth and her body bowed up in agony.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, relax.” The doctor grunted and Daryl, without thinking, looked down between her legs. His eyes almost popped out of his head and he felt like throwing up when he saw that the fucking asshole of a doctor had half his freaking arm buried inside of her.  
  
“Damn, my hand is too big, I can't reach right.” The doctor said casually while he delved around inside of Daryl's girl, who was screaming her lungs out, shocking even Merle into pacing worriedly back and forth outside of the room. Jarah on her end swore that she was dying. She saw a white light and was ready to dive in, just to have it all end. She had no sense of time, she had no idea how long it had been since the agony started, but this time she felt Daryl's hand squeezing hers and she heard his words. It gave her strength to hold on.  
  
“I could have told you that.” The midwife was rolling her eyes at the doctor. “All you had to do was wait a minute. I would have done it. Go, we got this handled, just needed a consult.” The doctor pulled out and Jarah gasped in relief while Daryl gently wiped at the tears that were running over her temples and into her hair. He wanted to kill every single person that was hospital personnel right then and there. Was that standard procedure to argue in front of the patients and their partners?  
  
“How you doing on pain, Ma'am?” the doctor asked Jarah while he pulled off his gloves and this time Daryl just couldn't stay quiet.  
  
“How the fuck do you think? Don't got eyes and ears? Jackass...” He shouted the first part, but muttered the last part quietly, no need to get into trouble when this whole thing was troubling enough.  
  
“Want an epidural?” Jarah nodded frantically and Daryl thought that the jerk was finally doing something right. The midwife meanwhile had placed the electrode on Jamie's head and his heartbeat was fine. Thankfully Jarah had barely felt it this time. She thought if they couldn't have given her the epidural before the male doctor had tried to rip her in half.  
  
“She dilated enough now?” Daryl asked the midwife, who shook her head.  
  
“Not really, she is still only at 4 cm, but if Dr. McIntyre says it's alright...”  
  
“Yes it is, I'll page Dr. Mayer and tell him to keep the dosage low for now.” And with that the butcher, as Daryl would call him from now on, was gone. The anesthetist thankfully didn't take long to show up. He made Jarah sign a form and told her to sit up.  
  
“Come on, sweetheart, I got you.” Daryl placed her hands on his shoulders and slid his hands under her arms to help her sit up. Jarah had to put her feet on a little stepstool and put her chin on her chest so her back would be as round as possible.  
  
“You have to stay perfectly still. You will feel a strong pinch and some uncomfortable pressure.” the anesthetist told her. Daryl caught a glimpse of the horrible needle and quickly crouched in front of her and kept his eyes on her face, looking for any signs of pain while the doctor pushed the needle in.  
  
“When are you gonna start? Contractions starting.” Jarah started to gasp when she felt the wave of pain creep up on her again.  
  
“I'm already done.” The anesthetist smiled when he pulled off his latex gloves.  
  
Daryl and Jarah were both surprised and Jarah actually had to laugh a little.  
  
“Wow, didn't feel anything thank God.”  
  
“Then I guess you really needed that epidural. You will feel the pain relief in 15-20 minutes. Good luck to you.”  
  
Jarah carefully laid back with Daryl's help and after the next round of contractions she already started to feel better. The pain lessened with every minute, but it only lessened on the left side of her body, she still felt every bit of pain on the right side. She didn't say anything right away, 50 % relief was still better than none at all. The amount of pain right now was manageable. She was able to just breathe through the contractions and she was able to actually keep her eyes open and look around and look at Daryl.  
  
“Hey, there you are.” Daryl said when she smiled at him. His whole face was lighting up like a Christmas Tree when he saw her smiling. She reached out and stroked her hand over his cheek.  
  
“I'm so sorry, Daryl.”  
  
“What in the world for, woman?”  
  
“Being a bitch. Needing the epidural, not being strong enough.”  
  
Daryl wanted to cry. How could she think that she wasn't strong? She had just gone through 12 hours of killer contractions and now she was smiling and apologizing to him. He leaned in and kissed her hard, his tongue invaded her mouth, not caring that there were people around. Jarah gladly accepted it and let him show her in his own way what he felt in that moment.  
  
Jarah pulled away when the next round of contractions started and breathed deeply. Daryl frowned.  
  
“You still feel it?”  
  
“Yeah, only my left side is numb. Still feel it on the right. But that's okay, it's so much better.”  
  
“Tell the nurse!”  
  
“No, please, let's just not. Please, I just wanna enjoy this for a while.” She begged him to leave the nurses and midwives and doctors out of it. She just wanted some time with Daryl. “What time is it?”  
  
“20.38 pm.”  
  
“Seriously? It's been 12 hours? Jesus.”  
  
“Yeah. You fought for 12 hours and I sat here like an idiot. Not doing anything. Wanted ta help ya. Now look how much help I am.”  
  
“Stop. You are being awesome. I heard you talking. It helped. That you are here and sticking this out with me is great. I love you so much.” She rubbed her thumb over his bottom lip and pulled him in for another kiss. “Think Nat will come?”  
  
“Yeah sure. Merle's already been here for a couple of hours. Waiting outside.”  
  
“Merle's here?” She looked down and saw that she was covered and smiled at Daryl. “Bring him in. I can use some distraction. And you too, I'm sure.”  
  
Daryl got up and opened the door and motioned for Merle to come in. Merle was actually shy and stood in the doorway hemming and hawing. “You sure? Don't wanna intrude.”  
  
“Come on in, Merle. It's fine.” she smiled at him.  
  
Merle walked up to her and awkwardly leaned over her to give her little one-armed hug.  
  
“Damn Shorty, how are you still smilin'?”  
  
“Drugs!” She laughed and patted his back before he pulled away and stood next to Daryl who had sat back down in his chair.  
  
“A goddamn warrior, this one.” Daryl smiled proudly and took her hand back in his, rubbing over her fingers with his thumb.  
  
They talked and even shared some laughs and Nat soon joined them and was horrified at what had been going on so far.  
  
“That seals it. I am never having children. Damn that's rough. You don't ever do anything the easy way, do you sweetie?”  
  
“Nah, easy is boring.” Jarah laughed before the midwife came in and ushered Merle out so she could check Jarah's progress.  
  
“Still at 4-5 cm.”  
  
“So my son won't be born today? Is that what you are trying to tell me?” Jarah wasn't happy, she just wanted to be done with all this.  
  
“It looks that way.”  
  
“Awesome.”  
  
The midwife left again and Merle came back in with a bag of chips from the cafeteria downstairs and shared it with the three of them while they talked some more. Suddenly Jarah felt a change in the contractions. They felt different, her whole pelvis felt like it was shaking and trying to press the baby out on its own and she had the overwhelming urge to push.  
  
“Get the midwife.” She panted when she fought hard not to push along with the contractions.  
  
Merle left the room and she heard his distinct voice yelling for the midwife. She would have laughed if she wouldn't have been busy panting.  
  
“What's going on?” The midwife asked when she entered the room and closed the door in Merle's face.  
  
“The baby wants out.”  
  
The midwife laughed. “Yes of course he wants out. It's just gonna take some time.”  
  
“No you don't understand. He wants out, NOW. He's coming.”  
  
The midwife checked her cervix and shook her head. “Pant, you gotta pant, you can't push. You are still at 5 cm. You still have another 4-5 cm to go before you can start pushing.”  
  
“I can't help it. Please, I gotta push. Please.” Jarah begged. It already felt like her body was pushing him out on its own. Her whole lower body was shaking and convulsing hard. She could barely fight the urge. She gave in and pushed once and it felt SO damn good.  
  
“DON'T!!! Jarah, you are not ready! You can't push!” The midwife yelled at her, but Jarah didn't care.  
  
“I have to! I can't breathe through it, it's too strong.”  
  
“You have to. You are only halfway dilated. If you push now that baby is going to tear your cervix to shreds. You'll have to have surgery! Don't push!”  
  
Jarah was way past caring. She knew that her baby was coming. She felt it. She had to push and so she did.  
  
“What are you doing? Didn't you hear???” This time it was Daryl yelling at her. “Stop! Jarah, I swear to God, stop pushing, woman!”  
  
“Jarah don't! Pant, come on, you can do it. Just pant your way through it.” Nat spoke up again and having three people implore her not to push eventually kept her from pushing.  
  
But not for long.  
  
The urge was overwhelming and she didn't care about surgery. The midwife threw her hand up in the air in exasperation and shook her head.  
  
“Alright. Fine. You know better? Go ahead, push for all I care. But do it right. Chin on your chest, deep breath and go.” The midwife was pissed off and turned around and went to the other end of the room and started reorganizing the drawers.  
  
Jarah had Nat and Daryl's voices in her ear, telling her not to push, but Jarah didn't listen. She took a deep breath, put her chin on her chest and gave a hard good push. And then she felt it. She felt her son pop through her cervix. He was almost out, she knew one more push was all she needed. And so she took another deep breath and gave a second hard long push. She felt the head push against the opening, she vaguely felt a stretching burn and then she knew that the head was out. The whole thing had taken less than a minute. She opened her eyes and smiled. There was no more pain.  
  
Daryl and Nat were still telling her not to push, when Daryl caught a glimpse of the midwife who had heard a weird noise. She looked over and Daryl noticed the woman's eyes widen as she rushed over to the buzzer and slammed her hand down on it, calling in the reinforcements. Daryl frowned and even though he had promised Jarah not to look, he looked down between her legs and he almost keeled over.  
  
“Holy fuck.” he whispered. “You fucking did it!”  
  
Nat looked at Daryl and then down at what he was looking at and she started sobbing hysterically with happiness when she saw Jamie's little face for the first time. She grabbed Daryl and shook him and actually jumped up and down.  
  
“Oh my God, Daryl. He's here, he's really here.”  
  
“Wait Jarah, don't push. Wait... okay, now give me one good push.” The midwife had turned Jamie a little so the rest of his body could be delivered and with one more push, he was out.  
  
Nat was beside herself with happiness. She practically attacked Jarah and kissed her face all over while Daryl stared at their little boy in amazement. He didn't even notice that two tears were running down his cheeks.  
  
“It's a boy. Born at 22.41 pm. Oh and what a cutie! All that hair, my god. Congratulations!” The midwife smiled and quickly cleared the baby's airways and shortly after the first cry was heard. “Daddy, you going to cut the cord?” She was handing him a pair of scissors and showed him where to cut. Daryl was still a little dazed, but he couldn't help the grin that spread on his face when he cut the umbilical cord. Nat was clasping his arm and shaking him a little, she was so giddy, she could barely be contained.  
  
The pediatrician on call came in and checked Jamie over real quick and smiled. “Healthy as can be. He is 22 inches and weighs 7 lb and 13 oz. Congratulations. Do you want to do skin-on-skin?”  
  
“Yes, absolutely.” Jarah smiled and pulled the hospital gown so her chest was bare. Then finally her little boy was placed on her chest and covered up with a towel and the gown.  
  
“Hi, my little angel. What took you so long? Too comfy in there, huh? I get it. Your daddy made me take care of you a little too well, didn't he?” She talked quietly to her son and kissed his little face. He had already stopped crying and was cuddling against her naked skin. “Ha, 10-pound baby, my ass! I knew that just wasn't possible.”  
  
Daryl laughed when he came over and kissed her, putting all of his emotions into the kiss. “I'm so fucking proud of you, babe.”  
  
When Jarah wiped his tears away with her thumb he finally realized that he had been crying. He quickly wiped his face dry and was brought back to reality when he heard the midwife speak up.  
  
“Well Jarah, I am going to deliver the placenta and then take a look at how badly he tore you apart.” The midwife started doing her thing, while Daryl anxiously waited. He didn't know how to read the woman's facial expression. She seemed baffled and he didn't know whether this was good or bad.  
  
“Jesus Christ. You are fully intact. Only two tiny lacerations that will have healed by tomorrow morning. This is a miracle. Seriously. You were only halfway dilated... Jesus...”  
  
Daryl grinned smugly. “Ain't no miracle, Ma'am. Just good prep work.”  
  
Jarah laughed and shoved his shoulder, but she knew he was right.  
  
“Yeah yeah, that credit goes to you. Rightfully so. Thank you baby. For everything.”  
  
“It's what I do.” he shrugged, but he was still grinning, insanely proud that he had helped her after all.  
  
“You wanna hold your son, daddy?” Jarah grinned and wrapped the towel tighter around Jamie's body.  
  
“Yeah.” Daryl smiled and carefully took him from her, stealing a kiss from his girl in the process. He settled Jamie in the crook of his arm and smiled when the little boy looked at him before contently closing his eyes again. “He's so tiny. Can't believe he was inside a ya minutes ago.”  
  
“Me neither. Didn't feel that tiny when he was in there.”  
  
Daryl gently rocked him and just studied Jamie's tiny features. The amount of thick black hair that seemed to be a little curly here and there, the tiny lips, the cute little nose. He wasn't squished at all since he only spent seconds in the birth canal. He'd just had a little bulge at the back of his head, but that was already gone. He was just perfect. Just like his girl. Daryl looked up at Jarah, who was watching her boys with a huge smile on her face. He wanted to build a shrine for her and worship at her altar every freaking day. He lifted Jamie up to his face and kissed his little forehead before he grinned at Jarah again.  
  
“Can we make another one?”  
  
Jarah and Nat gaped at him for a split second and Jarah then scoffed.  
  
“I JUST gave birth, Mister! Keep it in your pants.”  
  
“Oh that reminds me, I gotta get Merle!” Nat quickly skipped over to the door and yanked it open. “Come on in Uncle Merle! You nephew wants to see you.”  
  
Merle grinned and quickly entered the room and stopped short when he saw Daryl with the baby. “Damn, my baby bro is a daddy. Congrats, y'all.” He stood behind Daryl and looked over his shoulder.  
  
“Cute little fucker, aren't ya? Got your momma's hair.”  
  
Nat pressed herself to Merle's side and grinned. “I changed my mind again. I SO want children.”  
  
Merle scoffed. “Ya lost your mind woman. I'm old enough to be a grandpa. And I don't ever wanna hear ya scream the way Shorty did. Over ma dead body.”  
  
“Shouldn't we get him dressed? And maybe fed? Nat can you get the midwife again?”  
  
Nat went and got the woman and the first thing she did was pull out the little tube in Jarah's back so she wouldn't get any more meds pumped into her body. Nat got Jamie's first clothes out of Jarah's bag and helped dressing him. A nurse brought in a small bottle of formula, but Jamie refused. Apparently that was quite normal, as most babies feel a little queasy at first and throw up some amniotic fluid before they drink their first milk. When he was dressed Nat and Merle took their turns holding him, while Daryl helped Jarah to get dressed in her own clothes again. The midwife was done recording her blood loss and had given her the go ahead to get changed back into her sweats.  
  
They brought in her hospital bed from the room she would now occupy and Daryl was stunned that Jarah was able to deftly climb into it without any help. It was like the whole birth had never happened. Nat and Merle said their goodbyes when Jarah was about to be wheeled into her room, Jamie securely tucked into her arms. Daryl followed with her bag and put her clothes into the closet while the nurse told Jarah to buzz her when she was about to get up to pee for the first time. The epidural had been light, she was already able to walk and move around again, but the nurse wanted to be on the safe side.  
  
“You two gotta be hungry. Would you like me to bring you a sandwich?” Jarah knew the nurse from her previous hospital stay and smiled brightly at her.  
  
“That would be awesome, thank you.”  
  
Jamie was peacefully sleeping in Jarah's arms, when she scooted over in bed and smiled at Daryl.  
  
“Join us.”  
  
He didn't have to be told twice. He kicked off his boots and slid in next to his girl and pulled her into his arms, holding both of them in his strong arms. He nuzzled Jarah's temple and breathed in her scent, hugging them tighter.  
  
“You are incredible. I can't believe you went through that and are back to your old self already.”  
  
“It's true what they say. As soon as they are out, everything goes back to normal. I feel great. A little tired, but otherwise all is good. But that's probably the epidural. Probably hasn't worn off all the way yet.”  
  
“I love you. Both of ya.”  
  
“We love you too, baby.”  
  
The nurse soon came back with their food and a piece of paper.  
  
“Have you picked a name yet? The hospital's social worker will be here tomorrow morning, but if you already have a name, I can write it down and pin it to your son's bed.”  
  
“Yeah, he's got a name.” Jarah smiled and had a little surprise for Daryl when she told the nurse. “His name is James Hunter Dixon.”  
  
She felt Daryl's reaction right away, he had tensed up in surprise and was now looking at her at a loss for words. “Girl... ma last name?”  
  
“Yes. He's yours Daryl. We both are.”  
  
###### ########## ###### ###### ####### #######


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27  
  
Daryl didn't stop kissing her for an hour after she had told the nurse Jamie's full name. He hadn't cared at all that the nurse had giggled at them, his social awkwardness and shyness completely forgotten, because his love for her had overruled everything else in that moment. The women had had the decency to look away while she'd informed Jarah that she would get Jamie later for a blood test and had asked if it was okay to take him in case Jarah was asleep. Jarah had just given her a thumbs up, not willing to tear herself away from Daryl's lips either, and with another giggle the nurse had left.  
  
They must have fallen asleep during their little kissing-session, because they woke up nine glorious hours of uninterrupted sleep later, when a nurse came in to check on Jarah. The nurse arched her eyebrow at Daryl for sleeping in the bed with her, but her lips held a little smile, while Daryl looked at her shyly with a light blush covering his cheeks, while he chewed on his bottom lip. Jarah looked past Daryl to his side of the bed and noticed that the night shift nurse had swaddled him in a blanket and put him in a crib and apparently she had cleaned and brushed Jamie's hair a little, because he looked like he was standing in a wind tunnel. His dark strands sticking up at all kinds of awkward angles.  
  
“Oh my God, I can't believe we got so much sleep!” Jarah smiled at Daryl when she sat up.  
  
“Didn't the night shift nurse tell you to wake your baby every three hours to give him a bottle?” This time the nurse wasn't smiling, clearly displeased by Jarah not sticking to the rules.  
  
“Yeah she did, but sorry. I don't wake up a sleeping baby. If he would have been hungry, he would have let us know.” Jarah shrugged, not caring about the nurse's attitude.  
  
“Lay back for me, please. I have to check the size of your uterus.” The nurse ordered curtly and Daryl finally climbed out of bed and stretched out his limbs, while the nurse palpated Jarah's abdomen. “Alright, very good. Please take these pills right away, they will stop the milk from coming in. Keep your partner around at all times and walk slowly, as they tend to make most mothers a little dizzy.”  
  
“Good, now accompany me to the bathroom, please, I have to check on your bleeding.” Jarah got up carefully. Her legs were a little shaky and her back still hurt, but other than that she was feeling better than she had in months. The nurse soon left so Jarah could freshen up a bit and when she came back out of the bathroom, Daryl sat on the edge of the bed and watched Jamie sleep.  
  
He looked up when Jarah came out and smiled. She looked so much better than she had in the past couple of weeks. Not that she hadn't been beautiful, but the had been so tired and tense and worried and it had showed on her face. Now she was back to the way she was when Daryl had first met her. Relaxed and happy. And most noticeably, her belly was a lot smaller now. She still had a little bump, a little smaller than when he had first seen her and Daryl thought she looked pretty cute in that moment. He kept falling for her anew over and over again.  
  
“How are you feeling?” he asked when she walked over to stand next to Jamie's crib.  
  
“I feel awesome. My lower back and my hips are still sore as fuck, but surprisingly absolutely no pain where you would think it would hurt after giving birth. Feels like nothing ever happened. My sciatic nerve still acts up when I get up, but it's all very tolerable compared to the way it used to be. Gosh look at him. He is so teeny tiny.”  
  
“Yeah, he is. Is it normal that they sleep that much?”  
  
“Aren't you happy that he sleeps that much?” Jarah laughed and gently stroked a finger over Jamie's cheek. “He's just exhausted. It was tough for him, too.”  
  
Jarah moved between Daryl's legs and while she wrapped her arms around his neck her eyes widened. “Oh my God! We can hug now!!! Like properly!” she exclaimed loudly with excitement, making Daryl laugh. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter to his body, enveloping her in their first real big hug ever.  
  
“Shit, that feels so good. Been wanting to do that for months. Oh my God, you're gonna have to do that a lot in the next couple of weeks.” She sighed contentedly while she softly kissed along his cheek, making her way towards his lips.  
  
“Lots of other things we can do properly now.” He smirked and pushed his tongue out to meet hers in a toe-curling tangle that left them both breathless.  
  
“Yeah. No more belly in the way. No more 'don't lay flat on your back', no more holding back...” she breathed as she nipped along his jaw, making Daryl groan quietly.  
  
“Don't tell me you been holdin' back all those months, woman.”  
  
“Maybe... You'll find out... Can't wait to have you on top of me,” she moaned quietly when he dragged his fingers down her back while she nipped on his earlobe. “...in six weeks.” she grinned and giggled when he groaned in frustration this time.  
  
“The fuck is wrong with you? You're not supposed to be all sexy and coming on to me and shit. Shouldn't I be the one sexing you up and you the one who comes after me with a knife for trying?” Daryl scolded her, but his lips held a smirk while he did it. He was fucking elated to have his girl back to her usual upbeat self.  
  
“Hm, maybe, but have we ever done anything the conventional way?”  
  
“True.” He pulled her lips to his and kissed her deeply until little sounds coming from the crib next to them made them pull apart.  
  
“Look who's finally waking up. I'm gonna go and get a bottle of formula real quick.” Jarah smiled and went to leave, but Daryl held her tight.  
  
“The nurse told you to buzz her for that stuff today. Supposed to take it easy, remember?”  
  
“I know, but walking won't kill me. I'm so happy to be able to move again with all this extra weight being gone. Look, I can bend over again.” She stepped away from him and bent down and touched her toes, giving Daryl a nice view of her ass.  
  
“Damn girl, stop that. Can't have ya for over a month.” When Jarah had scooped Jamie into her arms Daryl pulled her to sit between his legs on the bed again before he reached over to hit the button to call a nurse in. “You're fucking amazing. Gave birth 12 hours ago and already moving around like nothing happened.”  
  
“It's what women were made for. I'm just really surprised that my “you know what” doesn't hurt at all. It's just my back and my hips and that's probably mostly the strain from the past couple of months.”  
  
“Probably not hurtin' 'cause I prepped ya right. Snapped right back after he popped out.”  
  
“That's possible. You did good, honey. Sorry for giving you a hard time, sometimes.”  
  
“Don't matter no more. He's here now.”  
  
The nurse soon poked her head in to ask what she needed and then proceeded to bring them the formula. Jamie took to the bottle without any trouble and the nurse stayed around because Jarah wanted to change his diaper when he was done and the nurse had to check the diaper contents for any anomalies. Daryl stood behind Jarah, his hands on her hips while he watched closely how she changed the diaper and cleaned him up. He wanted to be hands-on, so he had to know how it was done.  
  
Jarah's stomach was growling and they had just decided to take the crib downstairs to the cafeteria with them to get some breakfast, when the social worker showed up. Jarah was nervous, but Daryl was cool as a cucumber when he signed the papers that legally declared him to be Jamie's father. After that Jarah went into the bathroom to change her pad so they could take their time with breakfast, when the nurse came to get Jamie for his hearing test. When the nurse had closed the door on her way out Jarah groaned.  
  
“God, thought we were supposed to take it easy. I'm starving. Can't we go eat in peace and quiet?”  
  
“Relax, she said it doesn't take long.” He rubbed her shoulders and moved her hair over her left shoulder to be able to kiss on her neck a little. Ever since getting in bed together the previous night, they pretty much hadn't broken their physical contact once. They seemed to have fallen in love with each other even more and for once didn't even care that others saw how affectionate they were with each other.  
  
They were making out again and didn't even realize they had company, when Nat showed up.  
  
“Jesus, already working on baby number two? Hey, where's my little man?”  
  
“Hearing test, he'll be right back. Oh my God you have food, I love you!” Jarah grabbed the bags out of Nat's hand and opened them eagerly.  
  
“All of the new momma's favorite, plus a huge ass chocolate milk-shake.” Nat smiled and hugged a surprised Daryl hard. “Don't worry, got something for you, too.”  
  
Jarah sucked on the straw to get a taste of the delicious milkshake and moaned delightedly. “Fuck that's good. Mmmm awesome. We were about to starve.”  
  
“And so you decided to eat up Daryl?”  
  
“You and your sister lied to me! You said it would take at least a week until I'd want him again. Wrong. I can barely keep my hands off of him now.”  
  
“That's just the euphoria. You still have tons of that happiness hormone inside of you. Once the fatigue sets in, the lust will decrease for a while. Or not, you've always been a horndog where Daryl was concerned.”  
  
“True.” Jarah nodded and looked over at Daryl. “Why are YOU blushing? I'm the horndog, didn't you hear?”  
  
“Women...” he muttered and bit into one of the BLT sandwiches Nat had also brought.  
  
The nurse brought Jamie back a couple of minutes later and Nat instantly scooped him up and kissed his little face and giggled like crazy, when Jamie gnawed on her jaw.  
  
“Teeth already comin' in little fella? Or are you hungry?”  
  
Daryl wiped his hands on his pants and got up. “I'll get him a bottle. Nurse said he might get hungry again pretty quick.”  
  
When he got back he and Nat argued about who was allowed to feed him, while Jarah watched in silence. She felt a bit like the outsider. Daryl and Nat had taken to the baby so quickly, especially Daryl. When she saw him hold Jamie she truly felt like she was looking at a father with his son. Jamie belonged in Daryl's arms, it looked perfect. Jarah didn't feel that way when she was holding Jamie herself. The situation hadn't quite sunken in yet. The connection wasn't there yet. She felt like she was holding someone else's baby. The realization that it was her own son had yet to sink in. Thankfully that was something Stephanie had told her about. Apparently it was normal that it wasn't like on TV and you instantly feel the unconditional love for this little being. For a lot of mothers it takes some time to develop that bond, it's just that nobody ever talks about it out of fear of being judged.  
  
“Can we walk around a little? I'd still like to get some coffee from the cafeteria and I don't feel like staying in this room the whole time.” Jarah had finished her milkshake and got back up from the bed and carefully stretched her back a bit.  
  
“Sure.” Daryl and Nat said in unison. Daryl was burping Jamie expertly and Jamie seemed to be perfectly happy with his face resting in the crook of Daryl's neck, as his little fists held on to Daryl's Metallica t-shirt tightly.  
  
“Can I carry him?” Daryl asked, making Jarah smile. “He's your son, too, you don't have to ask. Here...” Jarah carefully wrapped Jamie's baby blanket around his little body and tucked the edges between him and Daryl's body so he'd stay warm. Daryl rested his other hand lightly on the back of Jamie's head and the upper portion of his small back so his head wouldn't loll around while they walked.  
  
“Look at you, you aren't even walking funny.” Nat laughed when she followed behind Jarah and Daryl, rolling the crib along next to her for when they wanted to put Jamie back down.  
  
“No, I'm fine. Just my back hurts.”  
  
“You're lucky you didn't tear, then it would be very different.”  
  
“I know. One thing less to worry about.”  
  
They went to get their coffee and Daryl refused to put Jamie down the whole time. He couldn't get enough of the feeling of having the warm bundle cuddling up to him and feeling the soft breath on his neck. There was something oddly comforting about the whole thing. He couldn't wait to have the two of them home to do some skin-on-skin cuddling with Jamie himself. The nurses emphasized every single time how that creates an incredibly strong bond between parent and child, but there was no way he'd take his shirt off here in the hospital.  
  
“When are they letting you go home?” Daryl asked Jarah when they were back in their room later.  
  
“I think I could go home as early as tomorrow or tonight, even. But I'd like to stay another day or two.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Well you have work tomorrow and it's kind of nice to have the nurses around to help and not be alone right away.” She explained.  
  
“Gonna have to start being alone with him anyway at some point.”  
  
“I know, it's just still very new and a little intimidating. It will be good for us to get one more night of sleep before we're on our own.” Jarah was referring to tonight when Daryl had to go home and sleep by himself because he had work in the morning and she had the nurses who would be checking up on Jamie here and there over the course of the night.  
  
“Alright, your choice.” he wasn't happy, but he wouldn't force her to do something she wasn't comfortable with. He really didn't want to go home and be separated from them for almost 24 hours, but his boss had been incredibly generous so far and Daryl didn't want to screw that up. So at eight that night after having said goodbye to them for a whole hour, he left the hospital with a heavy heart. Jarah fell asleep almost immediately, the exhaustion finally catching up to her, while Daryl just kept tossing and turning that night.  
  
####### ####### ####### ####### ####### ######## #####  
  
Much to Daryl's dismay she stayed two more days. Nat picked her and Jamie up on Friday morning while he was at work. It was weird being home with the baby, no more nurses and doctors around to ask questions and their opinion on things. Now they were on their own. Jarah was glad that Nat was with her until Daryl came home. She had a ton of experiences with babies and wasn't afraid to look after Jamie while Jarah unpacked and started on getting some laundry done.  
  
She and Daryl seemed to be very lucky, because so far Jamie had been a good sleeper and a really chill and relaxed baby. Jarah had gradually begun to grow into her new role as Jamie's momma. When the nurse had taken him for a final blood test she had actually really missed him and couldn't wait for him to be back with her. The time alone with Jamie while Daryl had been at work, had also helped to get to know the little man that had spent almost 44 weeks inside her body. By Thursday afternoon she hadn't been able to stop cuddling him and kissing him all the time when he wasn't asleep. She'd rocked him and sang to him and just had him sleep on her chest while she'd closed her eyes and let the sun shine in her face through the window. Her worries about not being able to love her child like she should had been put to rest. The bond had been established and she couldn't imagine life without him anymore.  
  
Nat left shortly before Daryl would come home. She knew alone time would be important for the new family now so that all of them could get settled into their new life. Jamie was sleeping peacefully in his crib when Daryl came home. His heart instantly swelled with love and relief when he entered their house, it was already evident that Jarah was back. The radio was playing quietly and he could detect her scent in the air. The whole house and atmosphere just seemed warmer and homier when she was around.  
  
He found her in the kitchen, apparently experimenting with water and the powdered baby formula.  
  
“Hi. What ya doin'?” he smiled into her ear after placing a kiss on it, while his arms wrapped themselves around her midsection from behind.  
  
“I am testing how much hot water and how much cold water I have to mix together so the formula will have the right temperature for Jamie to drink right away. I want to put a thermos of hot water and a bottle of cold water, plus some clean bottles on the nightstand for night feedings. As soon as he wakes up I'll just mix hot and cold water, scoop the powder in and he'll be able to have his bottle within a minute. No waiting around for the water to heat up and then cool down again.”  
  
“Smart thinking. Will save us a lot of time and him a lot of crying.” Daryl grinned, proud of his girl for coming up with that idea.  
  
“Oh he is really not that fussy at night, at least so far. Maybe we're in luck. He always went right back to sleep after drinking his bottle, but they already had it mixed up, I only had to get it. That's why I wanna do this, keep the time he has to spend awake at night to a minimum.”  
  
“He sleeping again?”  
  
“Yeah, so far he's been sleeping about 18 hours a day. I always took a couple of naps with him during the morning. Helps me not being too tired.”  
  
“Looks like you already got a pretty good handle on things.”  
  
“Well you know I like to be prepared and organized. Guess that helps. But I have to admit I really don't feel like cooking. Is it okay if we order in?”  
  
“'Course it's okay, sweetheart.” he kissed her sweetly before he released his hold on her. “Gonna get changed and say hello to our boy.”  
  
“You do that.” she smiled and went back to her experiment. It didn't take long until she had a list of how much water she had to mix up for various amounts of formula. She copied the list once and pinned one to the fridge and put the other one on her nightstand, along with a tupperware box full of the powdered formula and a bottle of water. She'd add the thermos and the clean bottles for Jamie later before they went to bed.  
  
####### ####### ######## ######## ####### ######## #######  
  
Things went surprisingly smooth for all of them. Her idea for mixing the formula at night turned out to be pure gold. She always woke up as soon as Jamie started cooing at night and she'd quickly prep the bottle and had him in her arms to feed him within a minute. Daryl often didn't even wake up at all. She was a night feeding ninja and that also helped Jamie going right back to sleep. Daryl was excellent at swaddling, he always wrapped Jamie up so tight that the little boy literally sighed contentedly before dozing off.  
  
She loved watching Daryl with Jamie. It damn near fried her ovaries every single time. One morning she woke up and found a shirtless Daryl leaning against the headboard, with a diaper-clad Jamie cuddling into his bare chest, his little ear pressed right above Daryl's heart, while Daryl's hands held him close protectively, his lips brushing Jamie's full head of hair every couple of seconds. One night he'd been faster than her and she woke up to him walking around the room, rocking the swaddled baby in his arms while he fed him, telling her to go back to sleep with a little wink. 'I got this' he'd said. She had to agree, he totally got it. He was an amazing father and she knew that she had made the right choice in agreeing to make it legally binding and letting her son have Daryl's last name.  
  
They spent a ton of time outside as well, especially on the weekend. Daryl would proudly push the stroller when they took walks on the trail and for once he enjoyed the looks he was getting. People just loved daddys with babies and Jarah gladly let him have the attention, she was glad that nobody looked at her and just enjoyed having life be a little easier and happier again.  
  
Before they knew it Jamie was 12 days old and their second weekend as parents was about to begin. This weekend they would have their first visitors, having held off the crowds until now, after telling everybody that they wanted to get settled into their new routine first. Patricia and Jimmy would be over in the afternoon to welcome Daryl and Jarah's little bundle of joy first out of all the rest of their friends.  
  
Daryl had just changed Jamie's diaper and was now back in bed with him, holding him in the crook of his arm while he fed him, when Jarah walked in with just a towel wrapped around her after having taken a shower. She stood in front of her closet and debated what to wear while Daryl just watched her. He still had moments where he did a double-take, because she no longer had a baby bump, but those moments got less and less with every passing day. Her body was almost back to normal, the little curve of her belly couldn't be called a bump anymore, it just looked like she might be a bit bloated, but unfortunately she still had some issues with the way she looked. Her mind seemed to be a bit slow in catching up. In her mindset she was still a huge whale.  
  
At least she wasn't hiding from him anymore, so when her towel dropped to the floor, revealing her panty-clad, but otherwise naked form, Daryl bit his lip and groaned quietly.  
  
“Your momma's tryin' ta send me to ma grave a couple years early.”  
  
“Stop.” Jarah blushed as she quickly put on her bra.  
  
“This wait is fucking hell.” Daryl grumbled, referring to the four more weeks they had to wait until they would be able to have sex again. They hadn't been able to fully abstain, the day she had come home from the hospital, they had started making out and fooling around a little on the couch every night. It got harder and more frustrating each day to pull away before it went too far, but they weren't able to keep their hands off each other. They were both horndogs and there was no way of denying it. Both felt like they wanted the other even more now after Jamie had been born. The whole birth experienced had brought them even closer together and had deepened their bond even more.  
  
Jarah got dressed in a nice tight pair of jeans and a black tank top. She smirked when she spied her shoe collection at the bottom of her closet. Daryl had wanted to see her in heels for months and today was as good a day as any to grant him his wish. She pulled out a pair of black strappy 4 inch heels, that always made her legs look even longer and gave her ass a nice boost, and put them on.  
  
“Now I know for sure that ya wanna kill me.” Daryl gaped at her. “Damn girl.”  
  
He got up and put Jamie in his crib that stood right next to Jarah's side of the bed. He turned on the mobile that played the melody of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” to keep Jamie occupied, while he advanced on Jarah.  
  
“What are you doing? Our guests will be here in a couple of minutes.” Jarah giggled, when he backed her up against the bedroom wall. Daryl kissed her passionately, his hands squeezing her ass and pulling her hard against him.  
  
“I like those shoes. Make you just the right height. Won't get a crick in ma neck from kissing your short ass.”  
  
“You're so romantic.” She smiled, only to moan in surprise a moment later when he bit down on a sensitive spot on her neck. “Be good, baby. Enough time for that tonight.”  
  
She gently pushed him away and smiled. “Gotta get the coffee ready.”  
  
She kissed him one last time before she walked out into the kitchen with Daryl staring at her ass and legs, once again wishing for a goddamn time machine.  
  
### ####### ####### ###### ###### ###### ######  
  
“Tell me, Jarah, how was it?” Patricia was holding Jamie in her arms, getting a feel for what it would be like when her daughter would be born in a couple of months.  
  
“Trust me, Patty, you really don't want to know.” Jarah smiled sympathetically at the other woman who would have to go through the “miracle” of birth herself.  
  
“That bad?”  
  
“I'm not gonna give you any details. I just know that I will never ever do it again.” Jarah laughed, earning a frown from Daryl.  
  
“So inducing is something I really want to avoid?” Patty wasn't sure if she wanted details, she was curious, but on the other hand she didn't want to be more scared than she already was.  
  
“Yes. Personally I think I could have avoided it, if I would have started having sex with Daryl earlier again.”  
  
“The hell, woman? Why you gotta talk to them about that?” Daryl was blushing furiously, while Jimmy just chuckled.  
  
“Because it's natural and in their case also important. I really didn't feel like doing it for over a month prior to giving birth. Like four days before I was induced I finally convinced myself that it was the last option of trying to induce naturally and it really brought back those Braxton-Hicks-contractions like crazy. If I would have had another week or two I really think it might have made a difference. So really, no matter how uncomfortable it is, just do it. That's all I can tell you.”  
  
“You got an epidural, right? Did that hurt?”  
  
“I didn't feel a thing. I thought the guy hadn't even started, but he'd already been finished. It worked pretty quickly, but it only numbed me on the left side, so I don't know what was going on with that.”  
  
“Should have told someone. Maybe that's why your back is still fucked up.” Daryl muttered.  
  
“No, my back is still fucked up from the pregnancy and delivery in general. Takes some time to get back to normal. Doc said it could take up to 4 more months even.” Jarah squeezed Daryl's knee. He just worried too much over her health sometimes.  
  
“What does a contraction feel like?” Patty asked Jarah next. “I'm just scared that I'll have one and won't even realize it.”  
  
“Oh, you'll know if it's real or not. Don't you worry about that. I can't really describe what it feels like. It is not comparable to anything I have ever felt. It is a really weird kind of pain.”  
  
“Hm, nobody can ever explain. I looked online, but nobody can explain to me what it feels like.” Patricia sighed, not happy with Jarah's answer.  
  
“Sorry, but it really is indescribable. Oh and what nobody told me, like the first two days after giving birth, you'll sometimes feel some light contractions, more like cramps. So don't freak out when that happens, that's normal.”  
  
“Good to know. There is really so much people don't tell you. I'm glad I can ask you about stuff.”  
  
“Any time.” Jarah smiled and looked at Jimmy. “You wanna hold him? Little practice can't hurt.”  
  
“Oh I don't know, I don't wanna drop him or something.” Jimmy was shy about holding the baby. He wanted to, but he was nervous as hell about it.  
  
“Nah, you'll be fine. Just gotta support the head and neck. Babies aren't as delicate as they look. They were built to survive first-time parents.” Daryl tried to reassure Jimmy while Patricia carefully transferred Jamie into her husband's arms. “See, you're doin' fine.”  
  
“Feels weird. But in a nice way.” Jimmy smiled. “Hey little guy. I think we might have a future wife for you. Just takes a couple more months until she's here.”  
  
“Oh that's right, they'll probably go to school together and everything. That's nice.” Jarah smiled. She'd have a playmate for Jamie soon and once they were a little bit older they could crawl around and play while their mothers shared some coffee and grown-up talk.  
  
Jimmy and Patricia left an hour later to give the new family some space. Daryl and Jarah decided to take a walk with him, but this time Daryl let her push the stroller and would hang back a little sometimes to get a nice view of her backside. She looked killer in those heels. Unfortunately they weren't able to walk as long as they usually would, due to said heels, but Daryl enjoyed it while it lasted.  
  
####### ######## ######## ####### ####### ####### #######  
  
“He asleep?” Daryl asked when Jarah came back out of the bedroom with the baby monitor in hand.  
  
“As usual. Man we are so lucky with him. Hope he'll always stay a good sleeper.” She smiled as she put the device on the coffee table and went to straddle her guy who was sprawled out on the couch.  
  
“Yeah, he slept like, what? 12 hours last night?” Daryl smiled when he remembered how well rested they had woken up this morning.  
  
“Yeah from eight to eight. Nat's mom told me that it might be because we are so relaxed around him. That he is so cool and laid back, because we are, too.”  
  
“He doesn't even cry when he is hungry. It's like he knows we got it covered. He's an awesome little guy, just like his momma.” Daryl grinned and nipped on her chin.  
  
“And just like his daddy. You are so good with him. I really didn't think this time would be so amazing. We really gotta count our blessings here. We aren't exhausted, we still have time for just the two of us at night, who would've thought.”  
  
“Maybe the universe is finally giving back.” Daryl shrugged, making Jarah laugh, the words sounded funny coming out of Daryl's mouth.  
  
“Maybe.” She snaked her hands underneath his t-shirt, letting her fingertips tickle over his torso while she kissed him. “Kinda feel in the giving mood myself right now...”  
  
Daryl hissed and bucked his hips up against hers when he felt her fingernails trail over his nipples.  
  
“Damn woman, why you gotta torture us both every single day?”  
  
“Because we love it, baby.” she grinned and gave his nipples a little tug, immensely enjoying the deep groan she got in response.  
  
“It's just getting harder, sweetheart.”  
  
“I can feel that!” She giggled and let her hips gyrate on top of his, rubbing their crotches together. “Mmmm, shit that's nice.”  
  
“You gotta stop, girl. Ya ain't supposed ta cum.”  
  
“Just a little bit. Just a little fun.” she moaned and supported herself by pressing her hands against his shoulders, while she dry-humped him. She grabbed one of his hands after a moment and put it on her breast. “Touch me, baby.”  
  
Daryl knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't resist. He moved both hands to her tits and squeezed them hard enough to make her buck just as hard against his cock that was straining against his jeans. He felt her nipples poke his palms through the thin fabric of her top and pinched them lightly between his fingers.  
  
“Oh yes, Daryl.” Her hips picked up speed and her voice got alarmingly high-pitched, he knew he should stop her, but she was rubbing him SO. Freaking. Good. He moved his hands down to let them slide under her top, but Jarah swatted his hands away.  
  
“Steer clear of my fat gut.” She panted and thank God it was the cold shower Daryl needed to stop what was happening. He dug his fingers into her hips, forcefully stilling her motions.  
  
“Ya know, damn well I don't wanna fucking hear ya talk like that.” he growled. He sat up and grabbed the back of her neck, roughly pulling her face closer to his. “If ya ever say that again I'm putting you across ma knee, ya hear me?”  
  
“Say what?” Jarah's gaze held a challenge, she wanted to see how far he'd really go. “Steer clear of my fat gut?”  
  
She heard a deep, animalistic growl emanate from Daryl's mouth and faster than she could blink he had pushed her off of him and had grabbed her again, pulling her to lay over his legs with her hands clasped in one of his behind her back and her ass in the air. A loud smack echoed through the living room and a yelp soon followed, when she felt the sharp sting of Daryl's hand on her jeans-covered butt cheek. Daryl rubbed his hand over the spot he had hit, before he let his hand slide lower between her legs, making her moan and squirm in his lap.  
  
“Ain't a real punishment for you, now is it?” he smirked when he pressed his fingers firmly against her core.  
  
“No, not really. Gotta admit, didn't think you'd do it. You're always so adamant about not hurting me.” She gasped and tried to wriggle her hips to get some friction going.  
  
“I know that this is a good hurt for ya or else I wouldn't do it. Gotta think of something else to punish you. But for today not letting you cum should be punishment enough.”  
  
He helped her to sit back up and let her snuggle back into his arms.  
  
“That's gonna be a long ass month.” She grumbled when she nuzzled his neck and Daryl couldn't help but agree with a grunt.  
  
“Two weeks down, four more to go.”


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28  
  
3 months later  
  
It was a couple of days before their first Christmas together. It was actually Daryl and Jarah's first Christmas in forever. Neither of them had celebrated the holidays for years. This year was special though. They had each other and they had their son, so Jarah had gone all out and decorated the whole house and was baking cookies all the time. She was aware that Jamie didn't know what Christmas was, that he actually wouldn't know for the next two years or so, but she wanted the memory and the pictures.  
  
Jarah had gone back to work after a month, but not to the nursing home. She was now working part-time at a grocery store, since no office job had been available or nobody wanted to hire her because she hadn't worked in an office for 8 years. She still kept trying, but for now she at least didn't have to worry about paying the bills. Nat and Jarah always tried to coordinate their shifts, so that Jamie could stay with Nat as much as possible when Jarah was at work, so they would save money on a babysitter, but it left the best friends missing their alone time together which had drastically decreased.  
  
Today they were finally able to have one afternoon to themselves and Jarah couldn't wait. The last week had been trying. Daryl had come down with something and had taken a sick leave and of course Jarah had caught the flu from him. Thank God Jamie hadn't been affected or it would have been a new level of hell. It had been hard enough for Jarah to take care of both Jamie and Daryl, while she'd been running a fever as well. As a thank you he'd given her the afternoon off, so to speak. Promising to take care of Jamie and not calling her unless someone was in grave danger.  
  
“How are things with Merle?” Jarah asked when she drank her first coffee in peace and quiet in what seemed like an eternity.  
  
“Gosh, I don't know. Not what I expected. I knew he would be a challenge, but I didn't think he would be that much of one.” Nat sighed exasperated. Even after three months she and Merle didn't seem to be advancing at all in their relationship.  
  
“What's going on?”  
  
“He's just... I don't know how to explain. He get these mood swings and they are pissing me off. One moment he is so sweet and then it's like he remembers, that he doesn't want to be sweet and turns into a jerk. And you can barely have a serious conversation with him. He just turns everything into a joke and when I confront him about it he gets all huffy and pissed off. The sex is awesome, but everything else is just not working, I'm afraid.”  
  
“Hm, maybe he needs some more time. You know that he is a hard nut to crack. Much much harder than Daryl.”  
  
“I know, but I just feel like he isn't even trying. Now that he has me he thinks he's no longer got to work for things. I'm just tired of fighting him. He kept saying that he's done more than enough for us, that I wouldn't pester him if I knew just how much he's got our back. What's that even supposed to mean? He was drunk when he said it, so who knows if it even meant anything. It's just weird.”  
  
“I'm sorry, Natty.”  
  
“No, don't be. I knew what I was getting into. Guess I overestimated myself a bit. Thought I'd be able to whip him into shape much better. Shouldn't have given in too fast in the first place. Who knows. You and Daryl still doing good?”  
  
“Yeah.” Jarah smiled happily. “Just keeps getting better and better. Sorry.”  
  
“Oh God, don't be. I am happy for you guys. Really. Think he'll pop the question again on Christmas? He said he was gonna try again.” Nat laughed. She loved how intent Daryl was on getting Jarah to marry him. No matter how many time she said no, he didn't give up.  
  
“I think he will. And I think this time I'm actually gonna say yes.”  
  
“Finally! Jesus, the man's gonna piss his pants he'll be so happy.”  
  
“Let's hope that he won't. I never thought he'd be this awesome family man. Jamie really couldn't have a better father than Daryl. Those two are so tight, it's beautiful to watch them together.”  
  
“Yeah it really is. Even Merle is always so sweet with him. Those Dixon boys stick together.”  
  
“Oh yeah, we really need to get us another girl to even the score. You know, I never really wanted a girl, but now I keep thinking it would be kind of nice to have both. Daryl is so amazing with Jamie, could you imagine him having a little daughter? His own sweet little princess? I can't stop thinking about it.” Jarah admitted. After giving birth she had been absolutely against having another child, but as the weeks went by and the memory of the pain she had to endure dulled a bit, she found herself wishing for another child with Daryl.  
  
“Uhhhhh Jar-Jar, I know that look. You want another baby! Wow, have you talked to Daryl about it?”  
  
“No, not yet. I wanted to wait a bit, see if it was just a fluke, but the thought just keeps popping up and it is turning into something I desperately want. Shouldn't wait too long, anyway, I'd love to have them close in age and Daryl and I aren't getting any younger. Don't wanna be an old parent.”  
  
“I think you are many years away from being an “old” parent, but I know what you mean. Also you don't want a high-risk pregnancy because your over 30 years old. I mean sure, they aren't classified as high-risk anymore, but still, look at my aunts. They were over 30 when they had their babies and every single one of them had some kind of defect and one was stillborn. So yeah, I know where you are coming from.”  
  
“Exactly. One thing is for sure though, if the next baby doesn't wanna be born and keeps hanging around in my belly way past its due date like Jamie, it's a scheduled C-section instead of being induced this time. I can promise you that. Nothing can be worse than that fucking induction.”  
  
“And nobody can judge you for wanting a C-section after your first experience. Well, nobody except Daryl. I guess he'd have to say something about that.”  
  
“He can try, but in the end it's my decision. And if he seriously expects me to go through that again, he is bonkers. But that's still far in the future, no sense in getting upset over it now.”  
  
“Right.” Natalie agreed and got up to get Jarah another coffee. And with that the topic of the men in their lives was finished and Nat shared the newest gossip from work with her friend.  
  
###### ###### ###### ###### ####### ###### ####### ######  
  
Jarah quietly opened the front door in case Jamie was already asleep. She figured he wasn't when she heard Daryl talk to him.  
  
“You gotta hurry up, dude. Your momma's gonna rip me a new one if she catches us.” Jarah heard Daryl mutter and peeked around the corner and saw them on the couch together. Daryl had Jamie propped up in his arms so he wouldn't suffocate on the banana Daryl was feeding him.  
  
“You're damn right she will.” Jarah stepped into the living room with her arms crossed over her chest. “What are you doing? I told you I don't want you to feed him bananas, yet. He's not ready.”  
  
“Seriously Jar? You're gonna start feeding him solids on New Year's anyway. That's in, like, two weeks. Two weeks ain't making a difference. He's ready and he loves them.”  
  
“Sure he loves them, they're sweet. We're supposed to start with veggies and not with the sweet stuff. You're mucking up my whole friggin' plan.”  
  
“Your momma's all about plans and charts, but life with you don't work that way. That's what momma's gotta learn. You're doin' fine. You're gonna be a good boy and eat your veggies, right? Yeah you will.” Daryl talked to Jamie in his baby voice and it damn near infuriated her, because he knew she couldn't stay mad at him when he was being cute and he used it to his advantage.  
  
“Your daddy needs to learn that sometimes your momma just needs to do her thing to feel secure and in control of her life or else she gets overwhelmed and will experience a phase of anxiety attacks. And we don't want that, do we?”  
  
Daryl looked up at her with a guilty expression on his face. “Sorry. You're doing so good, I just forget that you get those attacks.”  
  
Jarah sat next to him on the couch and kissed him. “It's okay, I'm not mad or anything. I know I have to be more spontaneous. I'm working on it, but until then, I like my plans and charts.”  
  
“I know. I just think that he tells us whenever he's ready for something. I don't think he'd eat the bananas if he wasn't ready for them. It's like last week when he started shifting at night, working his little arms free of the swaddle blanket, that's how he told us he was ready to sleep in a sleeping bag. Just try to see it as a good sign. He's already eatin' his solids. Won't be too much trouble when you start with the carrots and shit.”  
  
“Yeah, I know. You're probably right. It's just hard for me to throw all my plans out of the window.” She reached over to take Jamie from him and kissed and cuddled him before it was time to get him ready for bed. “Hey, you talk to your brother recently?”  
  
“Nah, it's been like a week or two. Why?”  
  
“Things with him and Nat aren't going so well.” She told him what Nat had told her and Daryl rubbed his face tiredly.  
  
“He's treating her just like he did with Marianne. Thought she'd be tough enough to have him by the balls when he pulls that shit?”  
  
“Apparently he is putting up a good fight. Think he might have fallen off the wagon?”  
  
“Possible. Wouldn't be the first time. It's cause he's back in touch with his old junkie friends ever since he started working at that auto shop. Wouldn't be that much of a surprise if he was usin' again. Imma pay him a visit soon.”  
  
“Tell him he's welcome to celebrate Christmas with us.”  
  
“Only if he's clean. If he ain't, there's no way I'm lettin' him be around our boy.”  
  
Jarah agreed. She loved Merle, but if he was using again he had no place being around the baby.  
  
Jamie started yawning and Daryl and Jarah took him to his room. He had stopped sleeping in their bedroom about a week ago. He had always woken up when one of them had moved around too much, so they had tried putting him in his own room one night and he'd slept much better. Jarah changed his diaper and put him in his little pajamas, while Daryl closed the curtains and put two pacifiers on each side of the crib, because Jamie liked to hold on to them while he slept. Once he was zipped up in his sleeping bag Daryl put him down in his crib and then wrapped his arms around Jarah and held her, while she read him a story. Jamie watched them, a little smile on his lips before his eyes started drooping and eventually closed. Jarah lowered her voice and kept reading quietly for a couple more minutes until they were sure that he was asleep, before they left the room.  
  
Jarah was just about to ask Daryl if he had eaten when she found herself being grabbed by her man and dragged into the bedroom. He had her facing the wall, his left hand held both of her wrists pinned over her head, while his right hand reached around her to the front and popped open the button of her jeans.  
  
“Momma's a little tense. Has been for days. Ain't that right?” He kept his voice low and gravelly on purpose, knowing it got her going. He slid down the zipper of her jeans and pushed his hand inside her panties, his hand just grabbing her core possessively.  
  
“Mine!” he growled and when she didn't respond he pulled her back against him hard with his hand on her pussy. “I said mine! Right?”  
  
“Yeah. All yours.” she gasped, trying to focus on him, while her mind just wanted to shut off and let her feel. She was so fucking lucky that Daryl was always able to sense what she needed and when she needed it.  
  
Daryl pulled his hand out of her panties and pressed two fingers against her mouth. “Open up.”  
  
Jarah sucked his fingers into her mouth, letting her tongue swirl around his digits until he pulled them out and pushed them back into her panties. He spread his fingers, making a narrow V-shape with his index and middle finger and let her clit rub back and forth between them, pinching it a little on every other stroke. He had her panting and her legs shaking within a minute. Without removing his hand he guided her over to the bed, making her kneel down with him in front of it, keeping himself firmly pressed to her backside.  
  
“What's going on in that pretty head of yours right now? Thinking about the things ya want me ta do?” He tapped the tip of his middle finger directly against her clit, smirking when she jerked and let out a little scream. “Thinking about having my tongue here? Having my lips around ya and sucking on ya so hard that ya cum all over the bed?” Daryl slid his hand lower, pushing two fingers up inside her and hooking them up against her front wall, manipulating the spot that made her go all quiet, holding her breath and grab the sheets hard. “Or want it here? You love ridin' ma tongue. But I bet ya want me ta keep my fingers right here, don't ya? They reach better. More pressure. Fill ya out more.”  
  
“Daryl,... make me cum, baby. Please.” She moaned and moved her hips in an attempt to get him to move his fingers. Daryl yanked down her jeans and underwear all the way to her knees, then he made her get up and lay back on the bed. He pulled her pants and panties off all the way, tossing them behind him. He lifted her legs over his shoulders and with his hands on her thighs he pulled her down so her ass rested at the edge of the bed. There was no starting off slow, he knew she didn't want that right now. She needed quick release and then a good, hard fuck. One hand spread her, his soft lips clamping around her clit, two fingers fucking her while his mouth sucked hard and his tongue flicked fast over her little nub.  
  
“Holy fuck, yeah like that baby! Oh shit, don't you stop. Don't you dare stop.” She knotted her fingers tightly into his hair, keeping his head in place while he inflicted heavenly intense pleasure on her. Daryl groaned deep in his throat, adding a little vibration to the mix and that in combination with his ministrations and the sounds he was making did it for her and she came apart, a string of expletives leaving her mouth in a rush.  
  
Daryl didn't even wait until she had rode out her orgasm. He pulled away and tore open his own pants. He slid an arm under her back and roughly pulled her closer to the middle of the bed until he was able to kneel on it, without danger of his knees slipping off the edge. He yanked his pants down only far enough for his cock to jump free and then he was inside of her, slamming into her hard and fast, taking what he needed and at the same time giving her what she needed. The room was filled with sounds of the bed squeaking, flesh slapping against flesh and harsh erratic breathing for a few minutes, until Daryl's deep growl of “fuck yeah” echoed inside those four walls when he spilled himself inside of Jarah.  
  
“Damn, I really needed that.” Jarah panted after a couple of minutes, making Daryl chuckle against her neck.  
  
“You and me both. Been a long ass week.”  
  
“Yeah, you probably shouldn't have exerted yourself like that. You've just started feeling better this morning.”  
  
“I'm fine.” He reassured her.  
  
“Okay, still gonna make you some tea and then off to bed we'll go.” She kissed him and gently pushed him off of her, so she could get started on the tea and get ready for bed.  
  
###### ###### ###### ######## ##### ###### #######  
  
Daryl sighed audibly when Merle opened the apartment door the next day after work. His brother had an opened bottle of whiskey in his hand and he already reeked of alcohol.  
  
“Havin' yourself a little tea time?” Daryl sneered when he pushed past Merle.  
  
“Yeah, want some?”  
  
“Hell no. What's going on?” Daryl looked at his brother questioningly.  
  
“Nothin'.” Merle shrugged. “Everything's fine and dandy.”  
  
“Not what I heard.”  
  
“Ah, them gossipin' bitches at it again?”  
  
“Hey, you watch your mouth. Both been nothin' but good ta ya. The fuck is wrong with you? Ya usin' again?” Daryl should have known that it had been too good to be true with his older brother getting his act together. He should have known that sooner or later he would fuck it up again.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, they are all bloody fucking saints.” Merle scoffed bitterly before he took a swig from the bottle. “Just don't know when ta leave well enough alone.”  
  
“What are you talking about? Thought things with Nat were going well?”  
  
“They did, but that girl just won't stop. Nothing's ever good enough. Just keeps wantin' more and more and more. Tired of that shit. I've done enough.”  
  
“It's never enough. Ya gotta work for things Merle. Can't just sit back on your lazy ass and wait for her ta fall in your lap every night. Gotta make an effort man.” Daryl tried to reason with his brother, everything was going great, he didn't need Merle to throw a wrench in it.  
  
“Don't you fucking tell me about working for things. Don't ya tell me about getting' ma hands dirty. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even be that kids daddy.” Merle ranted, his speech slurred from his alcohol consumption.  
  
Daryl's eyes snapped up at his brother, they narrowed when Daryl's forehead knit in a frown. “The fuck's that supposed ta mean? What the hell do you got to do with anythin'? 'Cause ya held me back at that diner?”  
  
“Yeah right.” Merle scoffed. “You got no fucking idea, man.”  
  
“Then tell me.” A feeling of dread settled in the pit of Daryl's stomach when he watched Merle take another swig.  
  
“You never thought that the good Doc Mason's accident was a little too convenient?” Merle finally slurred and Daryl felt like the rug had been pulled out from under him. He didn't even know if he was laying on the ground or if he was still standing when shock flooded his system.  
  
“Merle... what,... the fuck,... You tellin' me it wasn't an accident? YOU had a hand in that?”  
  
“He hurt your girl. She and Lil Bit were both begging for him ta disappear... Tadaaaaa.” Merle bowed like a magician, nearly falling to the floor when he lost his balance.  
  
“That didn't mean ya had to go and kill a man!” Daryl's hands grabbed his own hair in exasperation when he started pacing the room in earnest. “The fuck... shit... why did you... Fuck, why did you think ya had to go and do that. Ya could have gone back to jail. We had things covered. They were just talking, they didn't mean for you to go and fucking kill the guy. Goddamnit, Merle.”  
  
“I didn't kill him. His car did. After one of ma contacts gave it a free check-up. Can't be traced back ta me. Cops didn't even think it was foul play. Solved a big problem, didn't I? Think things would be going so great for ya if he was still around? Nah, Ol' Merle did ya two a big fat solid. Had to steal some cars for a guy ta get the money for the other guy to mess with the car. Yeah, the things I do for all of y'all and it ain't never enough. Always asking for something more and better. Leave me the fuck alone. Better on ma own.”  
  
“Here's what's gonna happen. You are gonna sober the fuck back up. You'll go to Nat and tell her you're sorry for being an ass and then you'll do anything to make it work, 'cause this is how it's supposed ta go. You're gonna come over to our house for Christmas, you're gonna play nice and you fucking keep your mouth shut about that thing you did. You are not going to put that guilt on them, ya hear me. This is between us, we don't tell another freaking breathing soul, ya got that?” Daryl was so mad he was pushing and shoving Merle until he banged back against the wall repeatedly.  
  
“Whatever, baby bro. What-fucking-ever.”  
  
###### ####### ####### ######## ###### ####### ###### ######  
  
Daryl had been glad that the holidays had been a big distraction from the secret Merle had shared with him. He couldn't believe that Merle had gone that far, that he actually thought that Jarah and Nat had been that serious about making Jackson disappear. If they knew what they had made Merle go and do they would never be able to forgive themselves. Or Merle, for that matter. So after the holidays he tried to keep himself busy in order to forget. He wanted to remodel the attic of the house and had gotten the consent of Jimmy's father, who owned the house.  
  
When Jarah and Jamie got back from the little one's vaccination appointment one day in early January, she was surprised to see Daryl's colleague Sean sit at the dining table with her guy, looking over some sketches.  
  
“Oh hi Sean, nice to see you again.”  
  
“Hey girly, looking good. Motherhood seems to agree with you.” Sean and Jarah shared a secret smirk.  
  
“Hey guy, watch it.” Daryl frowned at Sean for complimenting his girl and looking at her like that.  
  
“Oh don't worry, she is not my type. Got my eyes set on somebody else.” Sean looked directly at Daryl, who was still completely oblivious to Sean's crush on him.  
  
“Whatever. We're just going over the plans for the attic. He's gonna help me out with the remodeling.” Daryl explained Sean's presence.  
  
“Oh that's nice. You wanna stay for dinner, Sean? Gonna make s”  
  
“Yeah, thanks. What's for dessert? I've been feeling like sinking my teeth into some nice hot buns.” Again he stared at Daryl and Jarah had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing out loud.  
  
“Sorry, just got vanilla ice-cream with hot cherry sauce on top.”  
  
“Mmm, mmm, mmm, now you are just giving me ideas on purpose, lady.” The two of them laughed, leaving Daryl utterly confused. What the fuck were those two grinning about?  
  
Jarah cooked while the two men worked out some stuff. Daryl had only taken a short break to get Jamie and put him in his baby swing which he put on the table right next to him and he made both Jarah's and Sean's hearts melt, when he let Jamie hold on to his finger the entire time and even rubbed Jamie's little fingers with his thumb every once in a while.  
  
After they had eaten Sean helped Jarah with the dishes, while Daryl took Jamie to his room to change his diaper and put him in his pajamas.  
  
“How in the world are you not giving that man a blow-job every single night he comes home?”  
  
“Who says I don't?” Jarah laughed.  
  
“True. He doesn't talk about your sex life, now that I think about it.”  
  
“Yeah, he is not like other guys. He likes to keep that stuff between us.”  
  
“Too bad, really. Would love to know how he gets down and dirty. No chance of a threesome, I suppose?” he winked with a cheeky grin.  
  
“Hmmm,... nah, don't think he would go for that. Specially not with another dude.”  
  
“But you would? Oh you're a dirty one.” Sean laughed and gave her a good-natured shove.  
  
“Hey, you're hot. Having two guys like you and Daryl in bed at once? Which girl in her right mind would say no to that?”  
  
“Say no to what?” Daryl asked when he walked in with Jamie nestled into the crook of his neck.  
  
“Having help in the kitchen? I was just saying how nice it was of Sean to help me out here.” Jarah lied quickly.  
  
“Oh it's nothing, you made us a great meal, it's just polite to help you take care of the mess.” Sean smirked before he turned his attention back to Daryl. “Alright. We're done with the list, right? I'll get going then.”  
  
“Yeah, thanks for helpin' out.” Daryl send him a nod.  
  
“Oh it's my pleasure. Jarah, thank you very much for a lovely evening. I will see you soon I'm sure.”  
  
“I'm sure you will. Bye bye.”  
  
Sean left and Daryl frowned. “He's weird.”  
  
“Thought he was nice?”  
  
“He is, but I don't know. Don't like how he's flirting with you!”  
  
“Oh my God, really??? Daryl, you can't possibly be THAT oblivious!” Jarah sputtered, she just couldn't take it anymore, she had to tell him.  
  
“The fuck are you talking about? I see you two grinning and looking at each other weird, so what the hell is going on?”  
  
“Daryl, he isn't flirting with me, he is flirting with YOU!” Jarah giggled, watching various expressions ghost over Daryl's face.  
  
“The hell ya mean he's flirting with me? Why would he flirt with me?”  
  
“Honey, Sean is gay and he has the biggest crush on you.”  
  
“Funny! You should take that act on the road.” Daryl scowled and Jarah gaped at him.  
  
“Seriously? Why would I joke about that. He told me, Daryl. He called you a living and breathing wet dream. Sex on legs on another occasion. Trust me, he is gay and he finds you very attractive.”  
  
“Does not. He ain't like that.”  
  
“Honey, why is it that hard to believe? You said it yourself, he's touchy feely for a guy. It's because he likes you. You are hot, baby. People think you're attractive, you're just gonna have to deal with it.”  
  
“Don't need anyone thinking about me like that, but you.” He really couldn't decide what to make of the whole thing. He wished she hadn't told him. He was sure he'd feel uncomfortable around the guy from now on. At least for a while.  
  
“Well, tough luck. All those joggers on the trail? They are wetting their panties over you when you're carrying your son around.”  
  
“Stop. Don't wanna hear it.” He felt uncomfortable thinking about all those women staring at him.  
  
“Alright. So are we ready for bed?” She smiled at her guys and kissed both of their cheeks when Daryl nodded and then led the way into Jamie's room so they could their little one down to sleep.  
  
###### ###### ####### ####### ####### ####### #######  
  
“Have you decided what ya want for your birthday? The big 3-0?” Daryl was sprawled out on the couch and had 4-month old Jamie sleeping on his chest and Jarah resting her head on the other side of his chest, watching their son sleep and stroking the little fist that was clutching Daryl's shirt.  
  
“Yeah, I have. But I'm not sure that you wanna give it to me. It's big.” Jarah said and realized what it sounded like and could practically feel him smirk. “Nooo, I don't mean your penis. Well, actually, kind of.”  
  
“'Kay, I think I need ya to clarify.”  
  
“I want another baby with you.” She told him quietly, nervous about his reaction. She didn't feel his body respond to her statement at all, he was completely relaxed.  
  
“Are you pregnant?” She heard a smile in his voice and looked up at him.  
  
“No, baby, I'm still on the pill, remember? But I'd like to start trying for another one, if you feel the same way.”  
  
Daryl grinned and kissed her lovingly, before he pulled away with a grin.  
  
“I'll make ya a deal.”  
  
“Okay, I'm listening.”  
  
“I want another kid, but I want something else, too.” he explained, and Jarah was pretty sure that she knew what he meant.  
  
“I'll give you my hand in marriage and you'll give me another baby?” she giggled.  
  
“Exactly. Sounds fair, don't it? We both get what we want. It's time for momma to be a Dixon, too.”  
  
“Is it now? Hm, maybe you're right.”  
  
“So we have a deal?” Daryl looked at her with a hopeful expression, when Jarah made a show of taking a moment to think it over. Then she kissed him hard and smiled against his lips:  
  
“Yeah, we have a deal.”


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29  
  
Epilogue  
  
They got married on the anniversary of the first time Jarah had invited Daryl into her apartment. It was the day both their lives really started and they wanted it to be the day to legally bind them together forever. They didn't have a big wedding with their friends, both didn't like to have any attention on them. Making a big deal wasn't their thing, so they just grabbed Nat and Merle and went to the courthouse to make it official. Jarah wanted rings and Daryl wanted tattoos, so they got both. The tattoos were more expensive than the rings. Daryl carried Jarah and Jamie's names on his chest, over his heart, Jarah had Daryl's name on the left side of her abdomen, just below the panty line. Her wedding present to Daryl was the first picture of their second child. She was 6 weeks along on their wedding day.  
  
Jarah had wished for a girl, but the universe wanted her to be surrounded by boys. Their second son Dean Morris Dixon was due in early January, but he seemed to make up for the long wait for his older brother and decided to surprise them with his arrival on Christmas morning. Jarah was able to have a relatively quick and natural birth. A far cry from her first experience with Jamie. Dean was a little fussier than Jamie used to be, but together they were able to manage his moods just fine. Daryl was a doting and devoted daddy to both his boys and Jamie never knew that Daryl wasn't his biological father.  
  
Both boys grew up to be incredibly bright and strong characters. They were troublemakers, but they were sweet and had a good heart and both did really well in school. When they got older they regularly spent weekends in the woods with Daryl and their Uncle Merle. They turned out to be great hunters, having learned how to shoot from an early age on. Daryl made sure to teach them right and always made sure that they knew to be level-headed and responsible when handling weapons. Jamie decided to skip college, he wanted to get a job and work with his hands, like his father. He was a free spirit and was constantly on the move and fiddling around with stuff. Although he had done well, he was glad to be done with school. Daryl got him started at the company he worked at as a carpenter. Dean on the other hand loved to learn. He was just as content on the football field as he was being in his room devouring a book. He got a scholarship and got his degree in Health and Physical Education and later worked as a PE teacher at a high school in Atlanta.  
  
Nat and Merle fixed things up for a while, but after about a year together, they called it quits. They got along better as friends. They were just too different to work out long-term. Merle was able to remain sober and met a nice woman with car troubles at work one day. Her name was Kara. She came from a broken home too and had a better understanding of Merle than Nat could have ever hoped for. Their relationship was often rocky, but they always made it work and they were a great uncle and aunt to Dean and Jamie.  
  
Nat also found another guy. She got married to the man named Patrick two years after her break up with Merle. They had a baby girl named Skylar. Patrick was a lawyer and later took a job in New York and moved his family there. This led to Jarah and Nat eventually losing touch with each other. They both had busy lives and the phone conversations and online chats just became less and less. Jarah got very close to Jimmy's wife Patricia instead. Their kids were close in age and were good friends and the two families spent a ton of time together. Jamie and their daughter Sarah even dated briefly in their teens, but it was just puppy love and lots of curiosity and didn't last longer than a month.  
  
Jamie got married to his wife Lucia when he was just 23, but it worked out fine. He knew what he wanted and took it. They had a baby girl 4 years later, making Daryl and Jarah grandparents and Jarah finally got her wish of seeing Daryl with his little princess Gina. He was absolutely in love with his granddaughter and spoiled her rotten. Dean waited a little longer to start a family. He and his girlfriend Ally never got married, but had twin boys Milo and John and three years later a little girl named Jessa.  
  
Daryl and Jarah stayed together for the rest of their lives. They were made for each other and their love was unconditional. They had their ups and downs, but they fought their way through unemployment, having to rebuild their lives after a devastating tornado took their home, jealousy, health scares and other drama. They always stuck together and had each others back.  
  
Jarah died first at age 82 after a major stroke. Daryl followed her only three months later after a massive heart attack, but their family was sure that it was actually broken heart syndrome after the devastating loss of his beloved girl.  
  
“Ma girl.” He'd still called her that after 53 years together.  
  
###### ####### ###### **THE END** ###### ###### ######


End file.
